Right from the beginning, he was just a funny big goof.... so in love with attention and petting and just in love with people. A sweet, gentle Golden Retriever with that beautiful strength...
And kindness. Mick was a kindly dog and an easy-going old man as he aged.
He's been part of the family from the time we brought him back from Minnesota in 2007 and as we cried and said goodbye today, it was with no regrets.
We loved him.
He loved us.
And there is something so wonderfully special about that relationship of trust and joy and hope. As a young dog he raced through the fields. As an old dog, he loped through the yard... and then he couldn't lope, so he walked... and when he couldn't climb the steps anymore, he'd come around the front of Paul and Mandy's house to come in the easier way.
But there comes a time when illness and pain raise their ugly heads and you know... you just know... that it's not fair to him to go on.
Tonight was that night.
He was beautiful. Old. Gentle. And in pain, but never a squawk or peep.
And now he's been laid to rest here on the farm. Next to Maddie's spot... and where we can plant flowers and put remembrances when the weather goes soft.
We hate saying goodbye, but we loved saying hello... and every day in between.
We'll miss you, Mick.... but we're so very glad to have known you.
Rest easy, old fellow.
You've earned it.
