
My dog Dean was put to sleep a few days ago (really my parents’ dog.) I’m okay about it. Dean lived a long 13 years. So you don’t need to say sorry or nuttin’. But here are some of Dean’s highlights:
1. Dean chewed through an entire wooden column on our back porch so that the ceiling of the porch collapsed.
2. Dean knew immediately what item you treasured most, and then he would steal it. If I was about to leave the house, Dean would grab my wallet with his mouth and start running around the house. It would take several minutes before I got my wallet back.
3. One time, my friend Danny needed to jump his car that was parked in front of our house. Dean immediately stole the jumper cables from Danny and started running around the yard with the cables dangling out of his mouth. It took Danny a good hour before he finally got the jumper cables back.
4. When Dean was in trouble my Mom would scold him by calling out his full name: “Dean Smith Lathan, get back in here!”
5. Dean and I used to shoot hoops together. Dean would rebound my ball by jumping in the air and tracking it down with his paws. But instead of passing it, he would try to eat it.
6. Dean ate everything in sight (mostly stuff not intended for him) including: birthday cakes, entire sticks of butter, brownies, biscuits, and occasionally a pack of gum (which tricked him up a bit.)
7. Dean enjoyed playing in the mud and then jumping up on top of you and ruining your clothes.
8. My nephews and niece loved Dean (even though Dean was jealous of them and would try to knock them over.) We would go on hikes together, which mainly consisted of Dean dragging us around the woods in search of rodents and the perfect spot to pee.
9. Dean once rescued my Dad when he was really lost while hiking in the NC mountains. Dean ran up ahead, found some people and in perfect Lassie cadence barked at them: “Hiker is lost. He needs help. He is over there.”
10. I will one day write a memoir about Dean. It will be a #1 best seller and will eventually be made into a major motion picture staring one of the Wilson brothers (preferably Luke.)