Swede's Obit - November 17, 2006

                                     
Swede, my dog and wonderful friend died at the Marquis Ranch in Sarasota County on the morning of November 16th, 2006. At the age of 14+, Swede had a number of health problems one of which was a tendency to stagger. Left unattended - John was on the computer - Swede fell unnoticed into the swimming pool and drown. On medications Swede also had cancer, kidney problems, arthritis and mental deterioration that forced him at night to wander the house. He was buried, in his favorite sleeping position in the St Francis of Assisi Pet Cemetery on the Marquis Ranch.
     Swede at age 4 months was a resident of the Sidney NY Dog Shelter. On a Saturday in March 1992, the Shelter ran the pictures in the Daily Star of twenty dogs and cats looking for homes. John immediately drove to Sidney. After parking the car he could see a line of cages and all save one enclosed a barking dog. A white puppy was sitting on his haunches and like the others was looking in a single direction - but remained silent. John adopted him - a Great White Pyrenees / Husky mix. After a short, petting, licking, love fest "Swede" was named and they went home to Oneonta.

                                                     Molly and Swede

                                            Over 14 years Swede was John's friend and companion. There were only two months of Swede's life that John knew little about. Swede stayed with a friend and during this time he was shot in the left foreleg. Except for this Swede had a good life. At 18 Central Ave he had a run in the backyard and a doghouse that he rarely entered - only in pursuit of a snack. (Swede loved baloney, cheese and rawhide sticks.) He enjoyed the snow and would always roll and frolic in the first white of winter. Summers he enjoyed a good game of ball - happily he would chase and retrieve his deflated soccer ball. There was at least one long walk a day most frequently on the unpaved West End Extension. There he often had a chance to pursue his favorite pass time - chasing deer. He never caught one and in fact on one occasion was chased back to John by an irate and fearless doe. Swede was an excellent dog with the grandchildren - friendly and always gentle.
     Swede had close friends. Molly, a Husky mix, lived at 18 Central Ave for a few years and had a parallel run. Together they shared snacks, walks and scrutinized everyone going up and down the street. The Great Wilber Lake Dog Fight in which Swede, Molly and John were attacked by three dogs and fought together was a Homeric event. Swede was clearly the hero of this fight, savagely defeating and scattering two of the attackers. (Of course he then sat and watched as Molly and John continued to battle the third dog.) Kitty, a perfectly white cat except for a perfectly gray tail also resided at 18 Central and was a good friend. There was Joseph, a misnamed calico cat that repeatedly embarrassed Swede by licking his face and rubbing against him at every meeting. Dolce, a plucky Cocker Spaniel and something of a tart, many times lured Swede away to run with her shoulder to shoulder up into the fields of Fly Creek. They invariably returned covered in mud, manure and on one occasion with a deceased woodchuck. In retirement in Florida Swede enjoyed many play times with Scooter, a tightly wired Papillon. Swede would have liked a better relationship with George, a Yorkie mix, but the latter rejected relationships with "dogs". Finally Swede had several fine walks with a Black Lab, Ana and a very sweet Pug, Oliver.
     My years with Swede (and Molly, Dolce, George and Scooter) clearly suggest to me that canis familiaris is a superior species to homo sapien - they engage not in war, rapine, murder or torture and have no vanity. It is also the ultimate cliche but  Swede was a wonderful friend, "my best friend". I am going to miss him terribly for a long time.
                                                      Sara and Swede