Tribute to Rambo

Sarah: Today Lizeth showed up and told me that Rambo had been killed. I didn't believe her at first, I kept saying "No, please no". She and I were both on the verge of tears as she told me that on her way down to work this morning, she found him in the road. She thinks he was attacked by another dog in the valley. Her kids hadn't found out yet, but I understand how they'll feel once she gives them the horrible news. Here's another kicker to the already sad news--I think I heard it happen last night. I was making dinner and I heard some awful yelping outside, and I thought it sounded an awful lot like Rambo. I went outside and whistled and didn't hear anything else, so I thought maybe I was mistaken or it was another dog. Sad, sad day today.

So here, in honor of one good dog, is my list of 10 Good Things About Rambo:

10. He was a picky eater. Rambo would dig through the compost pile to find the one thing that he would actually want to eat, and then carry it around, eating it and savoring every bit.

9. He was protective over certain pieces of food--namely, toast. Rambo would take the leftover toast and bury it--but not eat it. If another dog would come around and sniff around, Rambo would growl and then take the toast and bury it in another spot.

8. He was a good guard dog. Rambo always seemed to run off and bark at things at night and come trotting back to QERC. We never knew if there really was anything there...but Rambo acted like he was on guard duty.

7. He had one incredible overbite. This made it look like he was showing off a huge smile as he'd come running to greet us.

6. He could be counted on to sleep anywhere. In Rambo's mind, anything was fair game. He'd find someone's laundry left outside all folded up nicely and make a bed out of it, or gather shoes together and sleep on them, or a happen upon a towel that someone "accidentally" left outside to snuggle up in.

5. He was persistent. Right around the time it started getting dark and cold outside, Rambo could be found hanging around any door, waiting for someone to open it. As soon as there was an opening, he'd make a mad dash inside in hopes of people having mercy on him and letting him stay the night inside.

4. He was playful. Rambo jumped like a mexican jumping bean and loved it when anyone gave him attention.

3. He was loyal to his family and to us at QERC. Rambo loved to sit and relax and keep people company--he'd follow David and me around everywhere and keep us company when we worked outside.

2. Everyone loved him. No matter how many fleas or ticks he had, everybody loved Rambo and enjoyed having him around.

1. He knew how to love. Rambo was a good dog, and will be greatly missed.