My Goodest Boy

I was going to call this blog "A Tough Year" but then that wouldn't have honored my Bestest Good Boy in the Whole Wide World, Orlin.

As many of you know I lost my cherished flame point Siamese, Lance Flame the Wonder Cat, a few months ago then Orlin (my cocker spaniel, golden retriever, afghan, bull dog cross - don't ask me, ask his Mamma) was recently diagnosed with nasal cancer.

But Orlin would never want me to dwell on the bad or painful. I think he would have reported the last two weeks of his life as awesome. Simply because he didn't have a negative bone in his body.

Like I said he was the bestest.

If you asked him to sit across the room he would be like... "Um, okay that's a little weird, but whatever you want, Mom."

Even when he was 'bad' and jumped up onto a counter and knocked bread down for Molly, if you caught him and said "Orlin! What are you doing?"

"Um, getting bread down for Molly."

"But that's bad!"

"Um... but Molly asked me to."

He was such an innocent but willing pawn of Molly. Even his worst habit, humping Molly was hard to get mad at. After all, Molly had asked him to!

When Chief was pouting due to the injustice of the world (you know, the lack of steak and lobster every night), Orlin would comfort him. When Princess needed someone to snark at without them snarking back, Orlin was her go-to guy (he would just lift his head so she couldn't reach him).

He had the best bed head. Oh, how he loved his feathering.

I am going to miss all of that and so much more about him.

Right after he passed, I got worried that he wouldn't be appreciated in Heaven the way he had been here.

Then I had the feeling of my closest friend, Gary (who passed years ago) saying, "Carolyn, don't you think I know a good dog when I see one?"

Of course Gary knows a good dog (after all I learned my good dog identifying skills from him) and Orlin was the best of the goodest boys.

I know they are up in Heaven just hanging out waiting for... well... to be perfectly honest Orlin is probably waiting to hump Molly, but that's okay. Even good dogs deserve to have some fun!