Six Words to Summarize Your Dog
I’ve been proofing the typeset pages of my memoir this week, which includes several sections about my Lassie, and her death six years ago. As I read through the pages, trying so very hard to concentrate on spelling and grammar, I had to stop, overwhelmed as I was for the deep sense of loss I still feel when I think about Lassie. Six years she’s been gone, and I still miss her. Deeply. Perhaps because she is the last dog of mine to die in my arms. Perhaps because she was one of those special dogs whose life was so pure she seemed almost otherworldly. I don’t know. I just know that as much as I love Willie, Maggie and Tootsie–and I love them more than I will ever be able to express–I still miss my Lassie girl.
In honor of her, and of all the dogs we love so much it hurts, here is what I wrote about her on the day she died, January 27th, 2010. I asked others to add their “six words” to memorialize their own dogs, and the comments break my heart in the sweetest way imaginable every time I read them. You can read their comments here.
Here is what I wrote in 2010:
Lassie went home today.
I am thinking of the famous story about Hemingway, in which he challenged his writer friends to write the shortest story possible. All agreed that he won. Here’s what he wrote:
For Sale. Baby Shoes. Never Worn.
Since then, summarizing one’s life in six words has become something of a parlor game. I have done so for Lassie, summarizing what she means to me in six words, and I think it would bring pleasure and comfort to everyone who reads this blog if you were inspired to do the same for your own special dog, and to share them, if you would, for us all to read.
Here’s for my Lassie:
French Vanilla. Ice Cream. Summer Day.
Off you go dear Lassie, my god how I loved you.
I hope you will add your thoughtful six words about any dog you choose, for all of us to savor. I will read them every morning with equal measures of warmth and wonder.
MEANWHILE, back on the farm: Ah, how clearly the seasons are changing. The sumac is starting to turn orange. The lawn is decorated in the morning with the bowl-like webs of spiders who only seem to weave them as the day begins to shorten. It’s dark when we get up now, and dark before we climb the stairs at night to go to bed.
But it’s also the season of bounty. Sunday morning was spent picking tomatoes at our CSA, Vermont Valley Community Farm and turning some of them into red sauce for pasta. It’s the simplest recipe in the world: Cut roma tomatoes in half, squeeze out the juice and seeds in the sink, chop up in a food processor, add chopped onions, garlic, some spices, and a little red wine, and cook for 1.5-2 hrs. The resulting sauce isn’t as thick as classic marinara sauce, but it’s light and tomato-ey and feels like you’re eating the best of summer when added to a plate of fresh-made pasta in the long, cold months of winter.
I picked about 30 lbs of tomatoes Sunday morning; the tomatoes were so bountiful it took no time at all. Look at this bounty of goodness!
Here they are drying after I gave them all a good wash.
I seeded about 8 lbs of them, cut them into quarters and processed them to the consistency of a chunky sauce. Here they are waiting to be put into the food processor.
The recipe calls for 2 chopped onions, 1 tsp both salt & pepper, 3-6 TB “Italian blend,” (I added oregano and basil), 4 TB red wine, 6-8 cloves garlic minced. Mix all together and cook for 1.5 to 2 hours. After cooking I let it cool, put into plastic bags in the freezer, and all fall and winter I’ll take it out for a quick and delicious dinner.
Tonight I’ll be preserving another 8 lbs into what I call “melted tomatoes.” This is even easier than the sauce: Slice the tomatoes in half lengthwise, place cut side up on cookie sheets, dribble with olive oil and fresh cut basil. Cook for several hours in a low oven, 200 or 250 F, until the tomatoes are flat and concentrated. Freeze in batches, and use in pasta or any recipe calling for sun dried tomatoes. My favorite = linguini, sauteed spinach and melted tomatoes in pesto sauce. Yum.
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About the Author
Patricia B. McConnell, PhD, CAAB Emeritus is an applied animal behaviorist who has been working with, studying, and writing about dogs for over twenty-five years. She encourages your participation, believing that your voice adds greatly to its value. She enjoys reading every comment, and adds her own responses when she can.
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Patricia is known the world over for her clear and engaging books and DVDs on dog training and canine behavior problems. You can also “meet” Patricia in person on her seminar DVDs, from The Art & Science of Canine Behavior to Treating Dog-Dog Reactivity.
For Chenak, who died five years ago last week, still missed I cannot find other wordt than
The King
Has Left
The Building
For Janouk
Soft fur
Puffs of Breath
Snowprints
((I made up that last word, pawprints in snow is too many words. ))
I loved that post back then!
Ranger–Love personified spread through our community
Finna–Psycho bitch loved and happy now.
And your amazing photos (so good I can nearly smell the tomato goodness) reminds me I have a whole lot of tomatoes on my vines that I need to go out and pick and preserve. Yum.
Solomon – Love to all, sloppy kisses forever
Grace – Smart as a whip, ringleader of mischief
Rebecca – Food is the joy of life
Tessa – Brain of brick, heart of gold
Adore the strands of grass wafting in the breeze of departing dog.
For Mouse – Sweet, hyper, demanding to the end.
Mason, heart too big for apartment.
Twix – mad dog, clever dog, my dog
Lucy – cloth-eared hunter, people lover, sniffer.
Forever Loved, Never Forgotten, Missed Deeply
My inspiration, a challenge, best friend
For Jenny our Golden Retriever – consummate love, model dog, missed forever.
Trip!: All heart. All heart. All heart.
Bounce: Smiles. Balls. Run. Joy. Life! Love
For the 8 who have left me behind and the 8 who remain …….the best friend I ever had!
I love this exercise. I’ve heard varying stories on the Hemingway six words, but they never lose their power. Here’s to Lassie.
RIP Grace: Would not go, could not stay
Phoebe: The world is blissfully, distractedly shiny
Olive: Passions bigger than your fears, finally
For Nana, who died three years seven months and one day ago at exactly this time of day today:
Part of me went with you.
Can’t do it. I burst into tears every time I try. They take up so much space in our hearts even when they are gone. How blessed we are to have them.
Moxie
my heart song
today my pain
Zagal
We walked the way together, friend…
For my French Bulldog child Daisy Gam Bull who I miss everyday of my life:
Sweet, bossy, demanding, needy, lion hearted.
Eric A lamb in whippet clothing.
For McKenzie who passed away in my arms 13 years ago yesterday.
Devoted sweet companion, still miss you. ❤️
??
For Atka (the first anniversary of his passing is rapidly approaching…in 2 weeks…and it’s going to be a rough one around here, I am afraid):
“The promises. All kept. By you.”
Oh, and the change of season can’t come quickly enough for me.
Bandit Affectionate eyes, intelligent, bonded, goodbye kiss
Abbie: Best wiggle. Kind eyes. Forever faithful.
Princess: Childhood friend. Shared popsicles. Forever missed.
Bandy
One of a kind, missed still.
To my smooth Collie Roma, 09/06/2001-08/11/2016,
Cherished Queen, Regal Ruler, Show-off.
Blackie – Best friend, steadfast, my first.
Inca – Beautiful mother of the family.
Bianca – Knew she was ours from she was born.
Hajka – In her own world, she could go anywhere.
Varga – Fearless, her soul visible in her eyes.
Maja – Absolute trust to us lifted her far up.
Simon – The red warrior, too short here.
Panter – Presence still felt, our faithful protector.
Kane – Went into the light, would prefer to stay close.
Kali: Intense yellow eyes, born to swim.
Dary: Sweet, silly, loving, loyal, long-suffering.
Decster: Little Lovable Apricot Cloud From Hell.
Casey: Warrior princess, my strength, Semper Fi.
Tory: Patient teacher, first born, blind retriever.
Ollie, lost so recently: From desolation to love and belonging.
Skip the lifesaver
We saved ourselves
Gracie: You’re carried in my heart always.
For Buster who was with me from age nine until I was almost done with college:
One little girl’s best friend, always.
Sara (lab, beagle, husky mix) – Our adventure dog – loved by all.
This really hits home. I’ve had a book idea for my boy for over 3 years now. Between the intimidation of trying to capture what he’s taught me and repeated upheaval in my life – job loss, divorce, moving, job change, new love – I have only a few scraps of writing to show for it. He was diagnosed with DM on 11/15/15 and I wanted to have a draft done before loosing him but I haven’t been able to focus. His time is growing shorter and still the words aren’t there. (If you have any tips for a novice writer besides “just write every day,” I’d love to hear them!)
A book may be a struggle, but six words came almost immediately (a good summary of why I want to write the book) … Hard lessons learned together. Forever grateful.
Oh, thank you for this wonderful post.
For beloved deaf old Henry:
Our Walks were
Never
Long Enough
Willow: Girl of my heart. Forever loved.
Griffin: Shoe thief. Soft ears. Bed hog.
Duncan: Sassy puppy. Frisbee king. Loved children.
Booker–tennis balls, swimming, and me.
For my dog,Tess, Lassie’s only daughter: who passed just last year….
Joy, my every day, month, year
In chronological order:
Tiny Bell, my first herding dog love
Wise Brenda, beautiful big-boned philosopher
Goofy Frasier, what a silly boy
Tabbie, love more important than intelligence
Sweet smart Daniel, my boyfriend dog
Huge Talley, best bed sharer ever
Duchess (RIP): Softly All Business, Heart Grown and Broken
Cecil: Rude, Tender, Ridiculous, Much-Needed Naughtiness
Rollo – so little time, so much teaching
Roxy: Almost always a very good dog.
So many. I loved. All best.
Tug: Cuddle Bear, Mini Burnie, The Swim Team
Mick: My Partner, My Goof, My Inspiration
Skye: My Heart, My Soulmate, My Reason, My Peace
Fawn: My Heart, My Soulmate, My Partner, My Teacher
Darby: My Right Hand, Spider Monkey, Brillo Butt, Eeyore, and Stop Licking Damn It.
Chocolate: first rescue, best ever, missed forever.
Wishbone: bursting with personality, heart still grieves.
Alex: noble friend, protector; gone so soon.
Gipper: beautiful heart, horrid cancer, forever tears.
Lacey: You started it all, sweet girl.
Porsche
Velvet ears. Wagging tail. Endless love.
Gone 6 months. I miss her.
For Rocky: Doggie grin, happy tail. Let’s go!
Chara:
A shy girl’s yellow-eyed courage.
Current dogs:
Sandy: Ebony eyes. Biscuit fluff. Hopeful glance.
Red Dog: Burnished sinews. Galumphing goofball. Aggressive kisser.
Pug: Pleasure snort. Crumb pounce. Shoe rearranger.
Departed dogs:
xHusky: Quicksilver charcoal. Pony frolic. Loyal heart.
Beagle Retriever: Butterscotch croissant. Food scent. Ever scheming.
Schipperke: Fruit bat. Nose lick. Stubborn b**ch. 🙂
Henry: Gleaming obsidian. Eeyore. Big dog bark.
As we used to say about our Josie Mae Albert. RIP sweet girl.
Josie may or Josie may not.
For my darling Bella, five years old. Killed last month:
Run over. My heart. Too soon.
For Maggie
Scruffy face
Coal nose
Fierce heart
Trisha – Holy smokes, those tomatoes!
Michelle: “Our walks were never long enough” – Brilliant!
Gordon: “The promises. All kept. By you.” – Atka sounds like he was a special dog.
Andy – I love “. . . Much Needed Naughtiness”
Funny to see another Eeyore . . .
For my Charli, long time gone:
“Melted heart, sorrow shaped, love endures”
First greyhound. Perfect Penguin. The beginning.
For our Jasper, an almost completely Golden:
You are gone; love is sorrow.
1-15-99 to 12/12/11
Seren and Jester: Tricolors dance! My heart is smiling!
Frolic: Happy paws walk beside the Goddess.
Trinket: A little girl’s joy sleeps peacefully.
Such a great idea!
Little Bear: To love and be loved completely
Annie: A better person than I
BoBo: Laughter heals a broken heart
Checkers: my teacher, my love, my dog
Sonya: so happy in her own world
Raina: old soul, loved people, killed Guinea pig
Luna: big strong beautiful – my heart – love
Kelly: Magic dog, so smart, so sweet
Peanut: my first Chi, funny snuggle bunny
Poppy: Perfect from day one to death.
Funny you should post this today as I had a dream last night where I was remembering my Pippin husky.
Your carefree air, the Twinkle in your eyes. Your heart was mine.
Thor, dearest friend and loving companion. I miss you so.
For Sasha- That smile. “Catch me! I’m off!”
For Becca– Queen Bee. We are adrift still.
I’m sorry, I have one more for our Jasperdog:
Dog of my heart, my life.
For my beloved Austin:
quiet clown, snow leaper, extremely devoted.
For our rescue Pearl:
Nervous gentle lady, hard worker, protector.
For dear Maggie:
Dog-fearing, speedy hunter, messy cuddler.
Never gone. Always in my heart.
Lark: Swimming for the air dog joyously
Raven: Knocking my socks off every day
Mercy, Patiently healing my broken heart
Max, Finding a home after wandering alone
Maggie, A big life cut too short
For childhood dog: I love to sail over fences
For teenage years dog: Phones makes me twirl and bark
For teenage years dog #2: D-oh, which way did he go?
For first dog as an adult: La, la, la, la, la, la
For dog trying to replace first dog as adult: I know myself very well
For first purebred dog: Whatever you say is just fine
For second dog of same breed thinking they would be exactly the same (not): What the hell was that about?
Jazz (All That Jazz of Kabeara) Samoyed gone 5/26/2016- First, smart, smiling, finally running painlessly
Crap! Now I’m crying again!
Sadie: beautiful old Boykin.
Graced home with 18 months of love.
My dog, my Friend, my Echo
for Sophie: Throw it! Throw it! Throw it!
Lost my boy April 14, 2016. After hearing about Patricia calling her dogs by parts of their first names I started calling mine the same way when they waited their turn. My Mavrick boy was my first born, from my first litter.
Here are his words: Mav Mav. Fuzzy lips. Ham ears.
JessieJoy: Soulful eyes ,Never a No, Swift.
For Benny: Best giver, best receiver, of Love
For George: Always loving in the crabbiest way
For Pita: Stealthy lap stealer and best friend
For Kim, who died many years ago while I was in college-I still miss her.
Miracle girl, soul mate, best buddy.
Our rescue Belgian Shepherd, Ewok – sweet, loving, soul dog, so beautiful
To all of you lovely, faithful people who posted about the loves of your life I say thank you. We are the people who love above all else the four legged children in our lives. It was wonderful reading all your posts. I dedicate this to all the four legged children I have had in my live ( dogs and cats)
Charlie – I rescued you, you rescued me.
I just have to say that I have read and re-read everything sent in and I am overwhelmed with the love, and the humor, that you have all expressed. I’ll keep reading, last thing tonight, and first thing tomorrow morning. Feel the love. Lucky us.
For Ashby
a gift, tail always wagging.
For Moquah
First dog, loving, wise, hunter
Murpjy, a miracle who completes me.
Tango: Kirkton’s Chorus Girl, she could sing.
To Punk, gone but not forgotten these 25 years:
My pooch, my love, my heartbreak.
Shadow, dad, geese, love.shady,Benner
Love you still
Bliss-I would do it all over again. Love forever.
Beautiful Babe…miss you still✨
Wiyot: Sweet blue-eye boy. Loved open-space walks.
Lung cancer 4 weeks ago. Gone too soon.
For my Crash, my first Corso rescue-
You loved me, I love you
Anna Nicole – Ball game every morning. Miss you.
George. Black dog. Patient. Trusting. Let’s go!
Bertie Grace- attached at the heart…
Bear Boy- strong willed, love, companion, family…
Hurly- Beautiful, loved, food monger, happy…
Meagan- Soul Mate, faithful, wonderful Mom, attached at my heart…
Sherm-Pride, sweet, lovable, bonded…
And oh so many others….Angus, Taffy, Freckles, Kaitlyn,
You each took a piece of me with you, and left me a piece of yourself. Thank you for
Teaching me so many things…i will love you all, always….
Stubbs (Cairin Terrier) three yrs gone – best times, worst times constant companion
Spencer: The field. Still there. empty quiet.
Ryker: Look down. Perfect at my feet.
Gary- laughing still-thanks Poofy headed boy
Xena- gift too short on this earth
Sarah- calm,cool,collected, my guardian angel
Carley- steadfast and true for all time
Lucy- lhasa always, best at just being
Timmy- little gigolo that I was his dealer
Gus- always smiling, happy, ready to go
Reo- always ready to be my partner
Meg- can we do it more? of course
Punky- happy soul, friend to all,honest
Eddie- learned to play that was all
Odie- sweet, malevolent soul, missed daily
Evans- worry wart, only ever wanted love
Kari- benevolent leader, solemn friend and companion
Spike- many devotees, only wanted to play ball
Luca – perfect, always near me, missed forever
Luca crossed the rainbow bridge three weeks ago.
Balls and frisbees,kiss me awake! For my beautiful Cassidy!!
Tug- tennis ball, sock stealer, best friend.
Joseph
Black puff
Soggy mudpotamus
Sweet shyness
Luke: You left your soul. With me.
(Thank you)
For Ricky, my heart dog:
“Now he is a real boy.”
For my Jessie, bent paw
Bent paw! Who cares! Embraced life!
Jasper: Annoying terrier. Life-Changer. Golden. Fighter. Friend.
Babe: first, constant loved companion of childhood
Robbie: my very own beautiful sweet boy
Duncan: true heartdog who blessed our family
Gus: hiking companion extraordinaire, loved Caesar salad
Harry: love of my life, perfect companion
Missy: sweet girl I miss so much
Taz: stubborn, loving, secure in his place
Tucker: champion partner, patient teacher, incredible focus
Kyra: the good girl who loves me
Elsa: difficult, worried but loving, a challenge
Deacon: smart, beautiful teenage brat, with potential
My Tarik, gone with 14 years, mixed terrier breed: Black Fire. Running the Sky. Chosen.
Cassie: beautiful, elegant, fly free.
Charlie: best dog a kid could have
Cassie was my african grey who i rescued & unfortunately died at a very young age from a brain tumor. Such personality, she had.
Charlie was my boxer growing up, he was the best… I have 4 pups that are still living, when they go, my heart will go with them.. ❤️
Blue – the other half of me
Just wanted to add the words for my two current dogs:
Spot
“Outside
Our bond
Needs a leash”
Shadow
Dark chocolate
Will work
For Cookies
And I loved reading all the words above and just wanted to send a big hug to everyone who needs it now.
For Lulu, our fospice puppy:
Race up the slide. Fearless, forever.
Furry clown
Unexpected teacher
Heart dog
Pnut – My first love, spoiled little girl.
Chelsea – Connor’s first love, fearful yet loyal.
Modena – Erik’s first love, Great Dane joy.
Tex: Floppy ear, big heart, German Shepherd.
For Raven – I loved you more than life!
For our first dog, a basenji named Margaret Thatcher. She was not the nicest basenji and she lived until almost 18 years. Maggie wasn’t an easy dog to have but she was “the best Margaret she could be.”
Heinz – Kind, Amazing Athlete, Touched many lives
Lola, my special girl:
Your empty collar, now with ashes.
Tiny puppy. Medium dog. Huge heart.
Tiffany:
My friends think I’m mad.
They don’t get you.
They think you’re boring because you’re a reserved greyhound.
Little do they know of your love and the joy you’ve brought to my life.
Or of the sanity that our lovely morning walks bring.
You’re the perfect dog for me (just don’t get old too quickly!).
(sorry just couldn’t do it in 6 words, had to be 6 (and a half) sentences instead…)
To Dude, my beautiful Lhasa-Maltese, a big dog that didn’t know he was little, who died unexpectedly last December at the age of 7 years.
Blue, white, shades of grey: Cloud-dog.
I will always love you.
Thanks for this – so lovely, moving and sad hearing from all these voices.
For Miss Maud:
Silly girl, happy soul, much loved.
For Lucy:
Katrina Horror. Pain.
Then Met You.
Gypsy: Amber-eyed beauty queen gentle soul
It’s taken me a several days to find six words for Sadie (the queen of dogs, who I have written about here before and her great, great grand-daughter, who we had no idea was a relative when we went to look at the litter, another amazing example of kismet). Both Goldens, both intuitively connected in ways no amount of words can describe. I will always yearn for them.
Sadie: Dog collar. Wear worn. Never needed.
Ester: Forever encouraged by her last encounter.
Tassie (1965-1970)
My heart still bleeds. I miss you so much.
Dakota- Gentle soul, always in my heart.
For Baron; 3/31/13- 8/20/16
Hormonaly Goofy, sweetly strong, Russian Tally
For Trinket
Face washes
Thunder shakes
Warm fur
Have been thinking about this for days…..Here’s the best I could come up with for our beloved Suzie, who is (thankfully) still with us:
Endearingly appealing sprite, caramel velvet fur.
And though you didn’t ask for it, I immediately came up with six words for Toby, the cat we rescued in February, who I am still struggling to love…..
“The refrigerator is my favorite thing.”. ‘Nuff said…..
The creativity expressed here continues to astound me. Loving it… (And love the words for Toby, the cat!) I especially love that some of you thought for days about it–always a sign of a serious writer! This isn’t a contest, but I have to say, LIsaW’s six words to Sadie would impress Hemingway I’m sure!
My darling Sammy,
Losing you,
Impossible.
Wait for me……
Abby
Young dog
Old dog
Loved dog
For my beloved Sara. No other dog has been able to quite fill her massive footprints”
Regal, imposing, sweetly silly, Greatest Dane
For all my dog’s cousins that have been murdered since the Endangered Species Act delisting April 2011 and just days ago — half of the Profanity Peak family murdered by Washington State Dept of Fish & Wildlife and the remaining adult male & 3 pups slated to be killed:
Stop.The.War.On.Wolves.Now.
A good resource for information: http://www.predatordefense.org/
in honor of Max
patient athlete, curious, empathic, humble champion.
for beloved Moxie, still with us (hopefully for many years yet to come).
twirly girlie
cautiously curious
craving connection
for beloved Jacks, also still with us (also, hopefully for many years yet to come).
resilience embodied
your heart captures mine
sorry, if I could edit my words for Max…
In honor of dear Max,
patient athlete
missing you
decades now
Sam My best friend, he took care of me
Max Elegant, formidable, incredibly athletic
Kobe Sweet, brilliant, scared and courageous
Cassidy Adorable, lovely soft baby girl
Taser Fabio look alike, friend to all, heartthrob
Scout Adorable, goofy, makes me laugh
For MeMe ( a little different from the one I wrote for her 6 years ago):
Scarred scared
Still trying
My shadow
Atalanta: Run safe. Have a good time.
Matthew: Always in my heart, with love.
my teacher of unconditional love
Zouri: Old soul, deep heart, eternal wisdom.
Unexpectedly taken at age four from cancer…
For my Bailey, still here: it was you, who rescued me.
For Sassy, gone 7 years 6 months and 14 days:
I never got to say goodbye.
For Glacier the sweet husky who left me this past July at the ripe old age of 16:
Foster fail. Sweet song. Love always.
For Haley: Always one step ahead, I follow.
For my springer spaniel/lab mix, Mitchie (gone 12 years!?!? how is that possible!?)
“fear biter”; teacher, student; total trust…
He still visits me in my dreams sometimes. Sitting patiently by my side, waiting to go on a walk.
This has made me chuckle, cry, miss, remember, and smile.
I lost Fleur, my 6.5 year old miniature Schnauzer on 2 September. Although she wasn’t the healthiest dog (had stress-induced seizures), she was very much loved. Her death was a complete shock as she went into the vet and didn’t survive the anaesthetic. I miss her terribly and my house feels so lonely and empty. But I am grateful for the time we had together, just her and I!
Here are her six words:
Garbage dog. Nosy girl. Best friend.
Thanks for this beautiful and encouraging post.
Nikki,
My best friend, my forever love.
BTW, thanks for the sauce recipes.
For Johnny, the Rottweiler-Catahoula mix:
We all admired his astonishing beauty.