Remembering Daddy

Daddy and Cesar

Photo by Mark Theissan

At my house, Friday night is "Dog Whisperer" night and watching Daddy assist Cesar Millan over the years has been a constant delight. This year, in the midst of grieving for my own longtime animal companion, Rachmaninoff, I was all too aware that Daddy's time was coming. Even so, news of his death last Friday, February 19th, took me by surprise. I had recently read Cesar's touching post, "Breakfast with Daddy," written some months ago, and had immediately recognized his anticipatory grief. The fact that Daddy lived to age 16 is truly amazing for a dog, but not surprising when you consider how beloved he was.

Though Daddy lived a wonderful life and was loved by many, his death still hits us hard because we know how special he was, that he was the ambassador for a breed much maligned and poorly understood, and that he helped his fellow canines regain calm and stability even though many humans had given up on them. Daddy lived with the Millans since he was four months old, and so the long and deeply meaningful bond forged between them makes his loss keenly felt.

Click here to read: In Memoriam: Daddy the Pit Bull