Losing a loved one is never easy - losing a family pet can be even harder

My 13 and half year old Georgia black dawg Josephine "Thumpasaurus" Mamadawg Matthews passed peacefully this evening after a long bout with a tumor in her lungs.

She was gracefully let go comfortably in one of her three beds by Dr. Paula Loniak at my house after a euthanasia shot delivered. Thank you to the Barber Creek staff for looking after her, and the Ashford Manor Bed and Breakfast folks for having her at a number of their events over the years.

Josephine sort of put up a struggle near the end but I think she resigned herself to leave this mortal coil and laid down to accept the medicine. We buried her in the back yard in what used to be a lovely flower garden. We have blackberries growing nearby there and I think I might go transplant some from a former nearby restaurant as well.

We adopted her from the Athens Clarke County Animal shelter the day after Thanksgiving 2001. I never knew why they docked dogs' tails until I get Josie. She could tackle football players with her tail, and was known to bounce off the front of cars with no ill effects. She always guarded the house with fury and passion. She was a good dog. I her bunches right now.

Josie was not the alpha dog of this very dog heavy neighborhood, but she almost always got along with every pooch who came down the pike. She loved kids and would be very happy to greet trick or treaters in the street.

She lived a very full life, overcoming getting buckshot or bb's in the tail, and made it out of Athens to Watkinsville with a happy disposition. She chased a few rabbits and kitties but never caught any that I can recall.

Go adopt, go get a shelter dog, pet your dog longer tonight. Much love to the canine world.

Thank you for indulging me. Josephine meant a lot to me and many thanks to Geoff & Sherry Seila, Bill Yarbrough, Catherine Hodges, George Allan Hardigree, Camala Schlicher Winters, all of my neighbors including the entire Knight family and the Gwinns and the Marbuts and the Roths and neighbors come and gone in Morgan Manor Estates for looking after us, and Mac and Trae and Dana and anyone who ever petted, looked after, walked or otherwise brought in my dog in my house or out of my truck or found her on the streets.