I am blessed to be living in a neighborhood of wonderful people who kept an open mind when a Doberman puppy moved into the area. Let's face it, Hollywood has created a vicious image of Dobermans. But whatever reservations my neighbors might have had they accepted Caesar and came to admire him. He was truly the canine good citizen of our neighborhood and set the standard of good behavior that all the other dog owners envied. They sent me sympathy cards when they learned of Caesar's death.
We affectionately referred to Caesar as "our black and tan clown". Boy did he make us laugh with his antics. To know a Dobie is to love a Dobie. He was so intelligent, he taught us more than we could ever teach him. He added so much to our family. There is a big empty place in our home and in our hearts.
Here's a tip for other dog owners, something I never stopped to think about before losing Caesar. I have hundreds of pictures of Caesar taken over the years and they are comforting to look at. But the house is so eerily quiet with him gone. It haunts me. How I wish I had thought to make audio or video recordings of him barking when other dogs walked by the house, howling along with us when we sang, racing down the hall when someone rang the doorbell, or even just the jingling of his dog tags as he patrolled his home. The sounds of silence can be deafening.
I've had the pleasure of owning many dogs and cats in my lifetime. Each and every one was special in it's own way. But I have never cared as deeply for any animal as I did for Caesar. He was one in a million. Here is his obituary.
"Caesar", also known officially as Spectrum's Love Love Me Do (all of
his litter mates were named for Beatles songs). May 21, 1999-August 29, 2008. Died of lymphoma. He was preceded in death by his parents, Father: U-C, DX Spectrum's Copilot For Me Too CDX, Can. CDX, TT, CGC, TDI and Mother: Can. UKC Ch. Derio's Lil Deuce Coup Spectrum CGC. Graduate of Wolverine Dog Training Club. Canine good citizen of his neighborhood. Loyal and trusted protector of his family and home. Loving companion to his people parents and siblings. Playpal of predeceased feline friend Circe and the new upstart Vladi. He will be missed by all that knew him. He will be remembered for stopping to smell the flowers not just the fire hydrants on his walks around the neighborhood. Private cremation. [Photo of him as a puppy]
