[sailaway21]

Both "Mac" and I appreciate the sentiment. Ben Stein says that dogs are so wonderful because they have no sense of mortality. They just keep loving us right up until they're not here anymore. The thing I like most about dogs is that they are not trying to be something they are not. You get a dog and many years later he's still the same dog. They're quite content in their own skin, just being a dog. The fact that we get such joy and fun from them matters not the least to them as they're just being a dog. They're always glad to see us, whether we had a good day or a bad day. If we yell at them one day, they've forgotten it the next day. Dog's don't sweat the details. Sleeping in the truck is as good as sleeping in the house. They don't understand a word we say, yet they sit and listen to us for years. They don't complain; they like oatmeal as much as they do ice cream. They know the difference between big people and little people. They know the difference between good people and bad people. And nobody had to teach them the difference either. Dogs are non-union workers too. They'll answer the door all day long, even if it means getting up twenty times. They don't demand overtime for after hours work and a walk at midnight is just as good as one at five o'clock. If we forget them, and they can't hold it, they're the ones who are sorry first. They never mean to upset us and the only time they do is when we expect them to be, well, not a dog. Dogs can only be dogs; there is no surmounting their inherent dogness. I wish I was that good at being anything.

Goodbye Fred. You're gonna be missed.