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Gizmo

Our son said that “Gizmo” had won the dog lottery. Animal control had found him lost and alone on the city streets. He captured her heart and she took him home for a birthday present for me. While waiting for the time, their family bonded with him and he stayed for a time at their home, along with their wolf mix female. It wasn’t long before they found the presence of two active dogs overwhelming and they decided to bring him on to us on the Oregon Coast.

Gizmo was untrained and would dash anywhere to greet people. One morning he dashed onto the street and went completely under a car. When I found him a moment later he was laying by our curb and looking over to me for help. I think the Lord knew he was special. He was in shock, but had no major injuries and was soon back to running and playing soccer with me. I was very negligent that day, I never could forget that moment. It still haunts me.

We came to live on our twenty acres when he was about a year old. As an artist and working on the property, we were able to spend the days together, and we learned to play “Dog in the Woods” (dashing at me from behind trees and ferns.) and enjoyed walks to the creek and through the forests that surround us. My wife walked him each day and he was her constant companion as well.

13 years have come and gone. Three weeks ago we had to put him down because of 80% Kidney failure. He had grown deaf in a short period of time and was lame. He became very tight with me – I couldn’t be out of my sight. The day we took him in, my wife and I spent most of the day walking with him. That day and the days that followed were some of the most difficult of our lives. He is buried beneath the Noble Fir trees with a gravestone that says, simply, Gizmo. This was his property. He owned it – God made it for him.

We reluctantly returned him to his maker, and blessed God for giving us his life.
Byron

Byron from OR