So I've decided that I am going to start posting one memory of mine a day as a way to record them and not forget them as they fade. They will be random but I will try to explain them best I can. They will also be in no particular order just a way to record them for me.
today's memory: times with my dog Gus.
My family first got our golden labrador Gus when my brother was probably3 or 4 I don't know (jen and mom correct me). All I know is I cannot remember a life without him. Growing up he was just always there. He was playful and loving. He would bark every single time, without fail, when a car that was not one of ours would pull into our driveway. Somehow he just knew. He would always come walking out front when I pulled into our driveway also somehow knowing when one of us was coming home. He LOVED to play. He chased balls, sticks, anything up until the time when he could barely walk. Gus was more than anything a loving dog. He loved me and my siblings so much. I know that's weird to hear about a dog but we could just feel it. I grew up thinking of him as another brother, an older wiser brother. He never hurt any of us. We would wrestle with him, step on his tail, get a little angry with him but over the years he unconditionally loved us. I remember days of just sitting outside petting him. He would let us lay on him, lean on him and more than anything he would go with us anywhere we would take him. I can remember countless walks I would take with him. From going up to get the mail, to walking to the neighbors house to simply taking out the trash or walking out to my car, Gus would be right along with me. More than any of those things I remember Gus as one of the best friends I have ever and will ever have. I remember numerous times when I was sad, angry or upset or going through rough times with friends and family and the only one there was Gus. I would walk out of the house and he would walk out with me to the back of the property to our spot. A big rock by a russian olive tree over looking the valley. I would sit on the rock crying my eyes out, telling him about everything that had happened that day, how I felt, what I hoped for and he would sit by my side and just listen. He would nuzzle me, look at me with those big brown eyes, lay his head on my lap and somehow after all that I would feel a million times better. He understood me and I know he loved me as much as I loved him. Gus was a fighter too. I can't remember it but my parents tell me he got into a fight with a mountain lion when he was super young still. He had a scar from it on his head that you could see until the day he died. He was the best protector. Anytime I had to walk to the basement or car in the dark, I could count on him to be by my side and I never had to worry or feel scared. He was the best dog ever. Hands down. I love how playful he was too. He would run with us, and get crazy when we would get crazy. He loved the water. He would be the first to jump in any reservoir, creek, lake, pond. He was a hunting dog that did a great job and definitely a best friend to each of us in the family. I think he loved nothing more than any time spent with us. Especially times he could come in and lay by the door and try to inch his way over to us. Love that dog and always will. I miss him every day but I know he's in a happier place chasing things,having the time of his life and watching over us.
