ALWAYS IN THREES

This has been a very bad week for dogs.

Yesterday, President & Mrs. Bush had to put down their dog, Spot. Spot was born at the White House 15 years ago, when Bush Sr. was President. The dog was one of only two witnesses who caught the president's fainting spell after he choked on a pretzel.

It's sad that even the First Dog can't live forever.


Worse yet -
On Thursday, Heather and Derek's little Chihuahua Tigger was attacked by an off-leash dog in Yerba Buena Park. Tigger passed away that day.

Heather and Derek really loved Tigger and his buddy Cheika. Tigger was a little guy who acted like a tough kid. He was funny and very fun to hang out with. And Tigger was my favorite friend on Friendster.

He was a blast.


And lastly -
On Tuesday, my Mom, Dad, brother and sister all took our 15 yr-old dog Zoe to the vet, where she was put to sleep.

I found Zoe late one night while out delivering pizzas. She was hurt, cold and scared - having been tossed out of a car on the nearby highway. She was a puppy then, and I thought I'd take care of her for just a few weeks while she got better - and then I'd find her a home.

After 3 years of school, as I planned to head up to New York City, I asked my Mom and Dad to watch her for a few weeks, while I got set up in my new home. That was 1992. Ever since, she's been with my Mom and Dad, her best friend Sigmund (the sweetest/dumbest Black Lab in the world) and the cats she always secretly loved.

My favorite part of coming home to Colorado was seeing Zoe just freak out as I came in the house. Mom asked me to say hello each time in the yard - because Zoe would usually get so excited, so spastic that she'd pee just a tiny bit. It was pretty funny.

Zoe was a jealous bitch, too. She get very protective of me and didn't like it when I brought girls around. Last Christmas, she could tell that things were getting serious with Maggie. Zoe picker her moment to assert herself as the Alpha-dog; she was acting perfectly very sweet, even affectionate and then, when I was looking, Zoe snapped in the air at Maggie. Maggie immediately grabbed Zoe by the scruff of the neck (just as Maggie and I talked about), looked her straigh in the eye, and made it very clear that MAGGIE was the woman in my life now.

They earned each other's respect and got along just fine after that.

Zoe was very fast and just wicked smart - learning how to open doors, slip past electronic fences, and evade capture by several dog-catchers over the years.

But she was 15 years old. She had a good life, she was well loved, and my Mom and Dad took fantastic care of her to the very end.

I will miss her.