A Dog Named Gnarly

My Auntie B's dog, Gnarly, passed on to doggie heaven today. He was one of those special dogs, a Pitt mix, who wandered into their lives sixteen years ago as a stray puppy and who decided to stay. Gnarly didn't have a clue what it meant to be a Pitt mix. There wasn't a mean bone in his body, just all doggie smiles and a tail that wagged his whole body. He lived with his family on seven acres of land in the Santa Cruz Mountains of California.

No fences kept Gnarly from wandering. He knew the boundaries of his property and patrolled it faithfully. He'd long since learned to make friends with the deer, raccoons, squirrels and other critters that visited his acreage. He reigned supreme over the fish pond and made sure nothing ate those pretty orange-gold fish. From time to time he had to run off a stray skunk or a snake encroaching on his property, but all other visitors were welcome. The postman and UPS man knew, when delivering a package, to bring a dog biscuit for Gnarly.

When Gnarly first entered Auntie B's household, their cat, Goodyear, took the puppy under her tutelage as her "kitten" and taught him good cat manners. Which is probably why he had such a sweet temperament. Goodyear and Gnarly were together all those years until Goodyear passed on to cat heaven last year. Since that day Gnarly has mourned the loss of his "mama cat."

Through the years Gnarly helped Auntie B raise numerous grandkids and great-grandkids. He did a superb job teaching them to "sit" and "stay." He was also more than willing to share their food, particularly the treats. In later years Gnarly developed arthritis, which slowed him down some. Then he went blind from cataracts and in the last couple years was deaf. He never considered any of those afflictions a disability. He continued through life with a sweet doggie smile and plenty of doggie kisses. Gnarly will be dearly missed by Auntie B and Uncle R, and all the rest of his family and friends, including his two younger cats, Furball and Trouble.

You can visit Gnarly's beautiful home at Hazlwood.com where he lived for sixteen years and was the official greeter of all who came to visit.