Goodbye Sweet Boy

This is a really tough post to write. In fact I'm still kind of reeling from the shock of it. Yesterday morning Langley passed away on the way to the emergency vet with his dad, Bruce.

Langley has had several unexplained bouts of diarrhea and lethargy lately but initially the blood tests came back pretty normal so they figured with Langley's habit of snarfing everything in sight that he had eaten a mushroom or something else that made him sick. This time though his liver and pancreatic enzymes were off the charts and his organs just couldn't pull back from it. The vet believes it was pancreatitis but they just aren't sure what caused the illnesses.

Langley was by far the most difficult foster I've ever had. He was too smart for his own good and honestly I think his high speed brain was part of the cause of the anxiety and compulsions that he suffered from. With other dogs he was pretty clueless about their body signals and he had the tendency to irritate the heck of most canines he crossed paths with. But the thing that stood out about Langley was the pure guilelessness of him. He loved his people - all people really - with every fiber of his being and he showed that love in the most exuberant of ways that always kept me smiling.

He loved to train and I swear he would train 24/7 if someone was always there to work with him. And with that work came a very strong bond. In fact, even though Bruce had adopted him, Langley has changed me so much in how I work with dogs that he still felt like part of this house. It was Langley who ignited my interest in animal behavior and started my addiction with attending every seminar I had time and money for so I could learn more about why dogs do the things they do and how I can help them more peacefully exist in this human world they have to adapt to.

My heart goes out to his dad who gave Langley such a great home. They were immediately the best of friends and Bruce loved Langley with all his heart. Nothing is quieter and sadder than a dog loving house that suddenly has no dog in it so please send your thoughts to Bruce as he deals with the loss of his best friend.

So wherever your spirit is, sweet Langster, I hope there's lots of birds to hunt and dead and disgusting stuff like old turds, road kill and slugs to eat. I hope you can sprint to your hearts content and then curl up happy and content where it's warm. Because that is how I'll remember you always - the fastest, most lovable, disgusting, goofy, dog that ever lived.