As is the way of all things, Baggins my Basset Hound has left this mortal coil. He lived many good years North of Boston in Marblehead and Danvers, MA.
He took many trips around the Northeast charming hearts wherever he went. Many times he went to sea and made the journey to Nantucket or Martha’s Vineyard. He took trips north and went up to Jackson, NH where he encountered a Bull in the pasture and I thought that might have been the end of him right there.
During that same trip Baggins watched puzzled as I and some friends carried an old Golden Retriever off the mountain on a makeshift stretcher. Of course once we reached the bottom, the Golden got up and walked back to his car.
Baggins knew he was faking it.
He was a good dog, and with a heavy heart I say Goodbye.
Please feel free to leave your own remembrances as comments. Keeping in mind my sister would like to read them as well.
6 Comments
It’s no secret that I wasn’t a dog person when I was younger. I was so not a dog-person that, even at the age of 15 or 16, if a dog came too close to me, I’d start bawling from fright. In other words, it’s not that I wasn’t a dog person as much as I had a dog-phobia.
There are three dogs in the world that I credit with helping me get over my phobia. The first was Peggy, a basset-hound that lived down the street from me. By the time I got to know her, she was so old that the only thing she could do was lie in her doggy bed and give you the saddest looks in the world. I simply couldn’t be afraid of Peggy; all I could do was love her the way you love a grandmother who’s in the nursing home.
The second dog was my ex-girlfriend’s tiny lhasa apso. I was afraid of it through high school, but after high school, when she and I started dating, I had no choice but to get over my fear, not if I ever wanted to go over her house.
The third dog was Baggins. Neither old nor tiny, Baggins was the first regular dog I could ever stand to be in the same room with. Sometimes he freaked me out, just because he wanted my attention or something, but I trusted him, and knew, despite what my fight or flight instincts were telling me, that he was not going to hurt me.
So, thank you Baggins, not only for helping me become a better person, the kind of person who can happily exist in a world that includes dogs, but for helping me understand that, despite what my irrational fears might be telling me, it is possible to trust.
Though I haven’t seen you in quite some time, I will always miss you. Thank you, Baggins.
And thank you to the Bloom family, who helped make Baggins the great dog that he was.
The Bag-man. We spent a summer together in the white mountains and the exclusive beaches of Nantucket and MV. The dog had class, he had style like not other, he charmed women and I am not talking about the ones on four legs. A Humphrey Bogart of his time one-foot disposition. Bags walked to his own beat and had his own opinions. He would listen to what you had to say but in the end, in his polite way, he let you know he was one up on you and he had his own way of going about life, and thanks for participating. For those of us who believe in reincarnation, I’d like to believe he is coming back with a bit taller, a player, packing his nut-cracker signature punch, a british accent, designer shades, and attitude at match. I’ll be keeping an eye out for you, big dog, and until then farewell.
Baggins had the best paw-to-balls coordination of any dog ever put on this earth. I remember the time when we lived on Ocean ave we cooked some steaks and poured all the left over goodness on top of baggins food. He was happy and that is how I will remember him.
I will always remember little “squeakins” and the joy he brought to everyone he encountered. He was a good dog and I’m glad I had the chance to see him again this summer (although Leila was none to happy to share her couch). Hopefully now he is somewhere stomping happily like the young pup he always was in his heart and ours.
Baggie… Baggie boy. We had the best of times and the worst of times. You ate like a king and Josh or myself permitting got to run like the wind from time to time. Your butt wipe was a thing of beauty… if it were acceptable for humans to do it I would randomly hop off the couch and give it a little burberry rug once over myself. Your 1 leg bicycle kick when we hit the right spot was also a kick to be reckoned with.
Most of all, I will remember every time I opened the door (more when you were younger) and Baggy dropped the Heisman on me and was off to the races. It would take me a good 10 to 15 minutes to corrall him and since I had no leash to walk him back with I had to carry Baggins home, and he would give me that yeah I ran and your carrying me… what of it look.
I hope they fixed the snip snip job and you’re doing your thang in doggie heaven. Do me a favor tell Spuds she ain’t got shit on you.
Peace,
Z to the B
Baggins, we had some great times together. We would sleep together and you would take up the entire bed. I will always miss ” Fishing” the dog and having you sleep in my room with a makeshift gate. But those last couple days i realized how sick you were and that you would be in a better place. Now looking back at all the memories, all I can do is smile.
You were more than a dog, you were my best friend. RIP