Ode to a Stinkem Pete

I usually like to put upbeat, funny or handy posts on here...but this one will have to be in remembrance of our wonderful Stinky Pete. His given name was Spartacus but over the years he became Sparky, Stinky Pete, Stinkems, Tink tink, and so on. He loved his people so much and his people loved him. He did everything with us. And now that he's gone, it's just so very hard to put into words how very much we miss him and wish he were with us still.

He was the best dog one could have. He was our best friend and he knew us better than anyone. He kept all of our secrets safe and still loved us despite of all of our flaws. It's so hard to lose a pet, especially when you don't even think of them as a pet. We loved him as if he were Jaxen's brother. We often told Jaxen that Stinky was his older brother...a much furrier brother. I won't drag this on too long because frankly, it's too hard and tears are welling up as I type.

We just hope that Stinky knew how much he was loved and how dearly he will be missed. There is a hole in our hearts and despite today being our less furry son's 2nd birthday, we are a little gloomy. A lot gloomy.


And in honor of Stink, I'd like to share some very special things that we used to do together that will be oh so hard to do now without him.


1. Eat breakfast or any other meal.
He used to finish my milk for me and it became kind of a ritual. He'd eat Jaxen's left overs and devour any crumbs in Jaxen's high chair. He was our furry vacuum cleaner.

2. Go to bed or wake up.
He would fall asleep in his tiny little bed right next to ours every night. But some time in the middle of the night...he'd bounce up on to our bed (unbeknownst to us) and make his way under the covers. He'd curl up right in the crook of my knee and growl if Jeff tried to move him. And in the mornings, as I sat on the side of the bed or at breakfast...he'd come and push on my feet for his morning back rub.

3. Watch TV.
No Pete didn't watch, but he kept us company and curled up as tight as tight could be in my lap and stay with us until the end.

4. Bike rides with Jaxen.
Jaxen would carry Stink's ball and Stinky would run with us for 5 miles or more. He loved bike rides because he could run as fast as he could and take periodic dips in the ponds around the neighborhood.

5. Play ball or tug.
This dog was crazy about balls. If you even said the word ball...he was on 'go.' He loved to play and never got tired. He kept us in shape! And Jaxen loved playing with him too. It kept Jaxen busy!

6. Coming home.
Stinkems would always very excitedly greet us at the door and jump, jump, jump. He loved greeting his daddy at the car door and playing in the yard before dinner. He'd give us kisses all night and hugs galore. He loved us so much and we loved him just as much.

Stinky Pete...we love you. We hope you are somewhere that makes you happy and you have lots of balls and lots of open space to run until you need a cool dip. We love you. We miss you. We will always miss you.