Smudge joined the staff here at Haven Animal Hospital in October 1996 first as a patient, then as our "hospital security officer". His hobbies included checking other animals out when they walk in, entertaining clients and their families, and sleeping on the job. As many of you have asked and you can see in the picture, Smudge was blind in one eye. He started out with a rough life, but in the end was getting along just fine and soaking up the love he received by our staff and clients. Smudge always looked forward to seeing visitors and friends between naps. He will be greatly missed.

It is Saturday morning. The day is beginning to wake up. The beauty of gray-blue dawn is breaking into a blue-orange glow of impending sunrise. Since 5 a.m. I have been half awake, waiting to hear the click of his toe nails across the hardwood floors and his huffing breathing sound. He would always come into the bedroom around 4:30 to tell me he had to go outside. The sounds were absent. The pain sets in again, deep to my core. The tears flow and I am missing my Indy dog.

I get up and make some coffee. I want to call out and ask "Wanna go for a ride?" I would watch him, his big brown eyes, dancing with excitement, as he looked over to his leash on the hook, saying, "where we going today, Dad?" Then the "hurry up dad" look appears. "I have my leash. You said we were going for a ride. How come you are so slow?" Finally, with a bounce down the back step and out through the garage, a quick sniff or two and then out to his truck. I would help Indy up on the seat. Before I could get in, Indy begins licking the window. His way of telling me to open it so he can get his head in the wind. "Dad, I need to smell the world as it races by." Indy glances over at me and I can read in his eyes, "Dad, there is always so much to see and explore with you. Maybe we will see some deer, turkeys, squirrels or rabbits. And if I see another dog I will bark a lot, to let them know that they are in the presence of Indy dog."

After a while, Indy begins to calm down and he just watches the world go by. When we get home I help him out of his truck. He bounces up the steps into the house, stops for a drink of water and then flops on the pillow to rest. A few minutes later Indy walks over to where I am sitting. He nuzzles me to get petted and loved on some more, or maybe it is just his way of saying, "Thanks Dad for taking me for a ride, I love going places with you."

It is now Monday night and I am coming home. As I turned the corner onto my road, I reminded myself that Indy would not be there. Yet as I pulled into the driveway I still found myself looking for him standing at the back corner of the house head tipped to one side, ears perked up and tail wagging. Everything saying your home safe again and now we get to spend some time together. When I am almost to the back door, he does his impatient bark and bounce. As soon as the door is opened Indy races in. Heading straight for his pillow and flopping down, saying, "I like laying here best." Then getting back up and checking me out to see what I smelled like, as well as smelling everything I brought in the door. Tonight, after I walked in the house, I went out and sat alone on the deck for a while. I have more stories and images to burn deeply into my memory about my friend "Indy dog".

Doug and Lynnda