Ode to Ed

All dogs are subjectively the best dogs ever, and no good dog ever lives long enough. Edison was truly one of the very best boys. Shop mascot, Adventure buddy, brother and co-conspirator. He loved Montessa more than anything else in the world; from the day she came home from the hospital, he was absolutely smitten and rarely left her side. He could spend all day every day playing at the lake, barreling into the water like a freight train over and over, chasing frisbees and sticks and balls… right up until he didn’t, at which point he’d happily watch his toys float away across to the opposite shore. He loved hiking and exploring; he especially love short-stopping me on precariously narrow mountain trails, then looking up at me as though wondering why I was furiously flapping my arms in an attempt to keep myself from falling. Nobody would every accuse Ed of being the smartest dog, but he was certainly sweet and handsome and a friend to all.

EDISON: ADVENTURE BUDDY!

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He was a quirky boy too. One of his favorite hobbies was pooping in very strange, hard to reach places. This guy would literally back his hind end up a tree to drop a deuce in the crook. He’d shuffle himself well up onto a shrub to leave a surprise there. In a real pinch (pun intended) on the sandy lakeshore or other locations without poop zones that met his exacting elevation standards, he’d relent and poop up on a rock or log. He also had a habit of distributing kibble throughout the house, like some sort of weird furry doomsday prepper. There really was nothing specific which seemed to precipitate this behavior and absolutely nothing would curb it. He would just grab 3-4 kibbles in his mouth and deposit them strategically all over the place. I’d often come home to dozens of these little kibble cairns, the significance of which was known only to Ed. He had a very nasty sounding bark when the situation warranted, but any time he had to use his Big Dog Bark he would immediately have a little panic attack and have to calm himself by dragging all of his food out of his feeder. More than once during thunderstorms he would empty an entire 40lb bag out of the feeder and all over the floor. I’ve always said (with great love) that we got him used, so we don’t know his full history, but I would love to know what events transpired in his young doggie life which caused his endearing array of idiosyncrasies.

EDISON: DOG BROTHER!

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EDISON: MASTER OF MISCHIEF!

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EDISON: PRACTICAL & ATTRACTIVE AS FURINTURE!

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EDISON: ALL AROUND GREAT GUY!

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We knew Ed was in his twilight years. We were really hoping that the world would right itself and allow up to visit him upon our return to the States; I’ve been plotting what a trip from Mexico to South Dakota via Maryland by sidecar would look like. Montessa has missed him terribly throughout our travels, and have I. We are all heartbroken, but also filled with a lifetime of wonderful memories and adventures with Mr. Ed. We are forever grateful to his first family who allowed him to be our Meester Buddy for the better part of a decade, and for his absolutely incredible final family. They started out as long-term sitters during our South American travels, but fell in love with him and very much wanted him to stay with them permanently. It was a very difficult decision for all of us, but never has a boy been more pampered, adored, loved and cared for that he has been for the past 17 months. Edison has lived a very good life, well loved. Well loved indeed. Goodbye, Mr. Ed. You will be missed.