Rest in Peace, Ed

Ed, the notorious Boston Terrier of knitting-modeling fame, passed away on September 27, 2007. It was a devastating loss, and I still think about my guy all the time. Here is the obit I wrote for Ed after he passed, as well as some photos of his last days:

9/28/07
Hi Everyone,

I'm sorry to say that our pal Ed passed away
yesterday. He injured his eye, leaving him blind, and
it was likely that he would have needed surgery to
remove the eye. Ed had lost his hearing, and his
bladder cancer was taking a toll on his body. He died
very peacefully.

Ed is survived by his little brother Butkus and
cousins Lou and Pete, not to mention countless humans.


I never thought Ed would make it to see 13 years, let
alone his 1st birthday. He was born on June 13th,
1994 and he came into our lives in August of that
year. When our family was in Michigan that summer, we
got Ed and Ellen and her family got Maggie. They
looked identical.

Gina and I held the puppies on our laps for the whole
7-hour ride home. As he slept in my lap, I caught Ed
up on what things were like at home and all the
adventures we'd have. Turns out, I had Maggie and
Gina had Ed! They were adorable puppies.

The fun began as soon as we got home. That winter
shortly after Christmas, we were all at the hospital
visiting my dad. We came home to carnage--Ed had
eaten 5 lbs. of Frango Mints. Thankfully, it didn't
kill him. But no one in our family can eat those
things anymore. You don't want to know the details.

Ed spent a lot of his life being bad. Mom said the
other day that there are a few people in Riverside
that she still avoids thanks to Ed's aggression toward
their dogs. Ed liked to show everyone he was the
boss. He was a little punk who could start a fight
with anyone at any time.

On the other hand, he loved his human family dearly
and never tried to hurt us--unless you count that time
that Ed saw a black lab running toward me, tried to
bite him, and sunk his teeth into my leg instead.
But that doesn't count.

Ed was always up for a game of basketball, which is
due to the fact that he looked like Patrick Ewing in
his youth. He loved getting kisses on his face, he
kept me warm in bed at night, and he learned to let
Casey into the picture when that time came too. Ed
even let Butkus come into our family. I have this
wonderful memory of those two playing catch last month
on a really hot day. Ed kept up with the puppy really
well, and he even caught the ball a few times! Ed was
totally exhausted for the rest of the day, but in true
fashion, Ed showed me he was still the leader of the
pack.

Ed is the only dog I know who's been to the emergency
room in three states. He made a few visits there in
Michigan when he was attacked by porcupines--twice.
Being docile animals, porcupines don't search for
victims. But in his day, Ed was taking names.

An infection in his foot landed him in the e-room in
Minnesota. I think he was faking it just to add
another place to the list. The list is too long to
name his visits in Illinois. And when my parents
bought their home in Indiana, one of the 1st things I
did was look up the nearest animal hospital.

As you know, Ed lost his eye as a puppy. Our family
was devastated, but Ed adjusted incredibly well. I
think it made him look like a tough guy. He showed us
how to adjust to adversity and not let it hinder you
or the choices you make. Ed had an amazing Boston
Terrier spirit.

He's lived in 4 different places with me, and it was
his presence that made each one feel like home. He
had an affinity for his toys, which we called babies.
Every day that I'd come home from school or work, Ed
and his baby would greet me. The day would just wash
away when I saw his little face. If Ed were a human,
he'd be the friend that always had a good story to
tell, always had an ear for your troubles and a
shoulder to lean on.

It's too bad we only had Ed for 13 years. He really
was my pal, but I know it was time for him to go. My
hope is that more people can have an Ed in their
lives. And one day, I hope that my kids will have
an Ed, because life without an Ed just isn't as rich.