Adios, Cruzador

Last weekend, the time that every pet owner dreads came to pass. It became the time where you are faced with the 'quality of life' decision, as in: Is your dog happy living the kind of life that he is living, and is it in the best interest of the dog to keep him going? Unfortunately, we came to the end of that road, where the mind was still there, the organs were still working, but the legs were just no longer viable enough to keep things moving. It was time to do the hard thing (and the right thing) and say goodbye to Hunter.

Hunter B. Ferro

A.K.A.: The Judge, The Enforcer, The Cop, The Huntman, El Cruzador, Cruzer

While it's easy to focus on the loss, I think it better to describe the life of this truly unique animal through a series of anecdotes and non sequiturs:

• It was not wise to leave a plate of food anywhere within reach, particularly if it had anything tasty. Cruzer has been know to artfully remove all the gravy from an open faced roast beef sandwich, without disturbing a single french fry.
• The dog never met a carbohydrate that he would knowingly consume. Hand him a piece of sandwich, and he would extract the meet and spit out the bread.
• He could be a major pain when it came to administering pills. Hand him a pill wrapped in a piece of steak, and he would spit out the pill, without dropping the steak of course.
• He was an instant alpha dog, no matter what group he was in. Any fight at a dog park was immediately dispatched by the huntman. All he would have to do is stick his nose in the middle, and all combatants would disperse.
• Going for a walk, was more of an exercise in starting and stopping. All information that could be gathered through smell would be examined thoroughly.
  
• Whenever he got tangled in his leash, he would lift the appropriate leg to get himself untangled. Smarter than your average dog.
• He had a keen ability to lodge protests, never really buying into the roles of pet and owner.
  
• So that his people wouldn't get lost in the house, he would leave kibbles around, so that we could find our way back to the kitchen.
• He was a veritable connoisseur of ice cream. Ben and Jerry's being his favorite.
• Jaws of steel. He could grab on to a suspended rope toy and hang in the air.
• Never once let the imminent threat of the approaching UPS truck go unchallenged. The postal service was successfully defended against as well.
• Subjected all newcomers to the rope toy test. He would drop it in your lap. The next muscle twitch you made sealed your fate as one that he either liked or disliked. Not much of a people person that dog, unless you were one of his people.
• If you got a lick, you were in good company. If you got a face lick or he slept on your foot, you were in rarified air.
  
• Incarcerated in the state of Arizona. Cited in the state of New York. Narrowly escaped prosecution in Maryland, Virginia, and several other jurisdictions.
• Could smell fish being prepared a mile away.
• Understood that when humans were having an egg breakfast, his was soon to be prepared. Scrambled eggs with sausage gravy, being the preferred morning feast.
• When presented with his first full time canine roommate, Willie, it took him a little while to figure out that the little black ball of energy was here to stay. Once he got that through his mind, he took the young lad under his wing.
• He was my pal.
  

The fly of the day is Hunt's Hybrid Crayfish, courtesy of the folks at Fly Anglers Online:

Tight lines,

Dave