Saying Goodbye to an Old Friend

Today our sweet black lab Link passed away. Ty raised him (with a lot of help from his parents!) for Guide Dogs for the Blind for 14 months. Link was taught to go to the bathroom on command, not eat human food, and walk on your left side at whatever speed you walked. 

Ty and his parents attended Link's graduation from Guide Dogs in San Rafael, CA. Link guided for a man in Oklahoma for 10 years. About 3 years ago, we got a call from Guide Dogs that Link was retiring. They asked if we wanted him back and of course we said yes.

When we picked Link up from the airport, we weren't sure if he would remember Ty. Link walked out of the kennel and walked right past Ty. Then, a few seconds later, he turned around and came back to sniff him. Link immediately rolled on his back and wagged his tail.

Link loved to play tug-o-war, splash in the water, and lay down in the highest traffic areas of the house. He learned not to drool or bark, but in his nearly 15 years of life, we never could stop him from putting his paw on your arm.

Link had a large tumor on one of his front legs. The surgery left him in a cast for four weeks and we changed his bandages a couple times per day and massaged a swollen paw until it looked normal again. Since then Link became our baby, especially when we thought Jack was going to be our only child. He kept me company while Ty was gone to Pinetop for three months. I always felt like I could sleep alone at night if I knew Link was in the room with me.

Ty's parents were just as close to Link. They raised him with Ty and were "home" while we lived in Virginia and Gilbert. Lois said when Link walked in the house after being gone for 10 years, he walked right into Ty's old room. Link kept them company and their empty nest covered in black hair.

Link had some funny mannerisms. Despite being such an obedient dog, he insited on laying on my quilt projects. I'd get him in trouble and kick him out of the room, but the second I left it unattended, he'd go do it again. It's like he thought my fabric was his own special little bed.

Jack and Link always had a little bit of a rivalry. The first morning after we got Link, Jack woke up and slowly opened his door. Link went to greet him and Jack quickly shut his door and shouted, "I'll stay in here!" One time in Page, Jack woke us up at about 2 am and said, "Link took my pillow!" Sure enough, Link had snuggled up to where Jack was sleeping on the ground and had taken over the pillow and most of the blankets.

Ty says that I'm ruined for any future pets. Link was my only experience and he never barked. He just quietly followed me around the house all day. As he got older, he slept more and one loop around the block was enough of a walk. Fetch was always two throws of a frisbee followed by a three-hour nap. Those naps sometimes gave us a scare. Link would go three, four, sometimes five seconds between breaths. We would watch him and think "it finally happened" and then he'd take a deep breath!

Despite being old, he turned into a puppy at 6 am and 5 pm everyday when he knew it was time to be fed. Link was also a master at getting you to scratch his ears. He would come up and put his head on your knee and hold still until you started scratching him.

Link was always ok with kids playing with him. I think he was tackled by all three of our children. Elliot and Audrey loved talking to Link and they always thought he needed more dog friends. We constantly caught them putting little toys by Link's head so he would have someone to play with.

Link's final moments were quiet and peaceful. Ty was the first person to hold him when he got off the plane in Las Vegas almost 15 years ago and, true to form, Link died with Ty scratching his ears with one hand and and holding Link's paw with the other.

We love you, Link!