See that huge black blob behind him? That is the Barlow family dog, Dakota, who passed away on Thursday night.
With his beautiful, slick black and golden (and greying) coat, he was just about as tall as I, standing, and definitely heavier, although always in fit shape and lean, due to his strict diabetic-yet-luxurious-for-a-dog diet that consisted of shots, scoops of doggy food, and strips of grilled chicken.
He was the best natured, mellow, even passive dog I've ever met, especially for his size. (Although I feel like smaller dogs pack so much energy into such a small space that they seem more yappy and energetic than large dogs.) He was very obedient to his parents, especially Momma Barlow who laid down the law, but always spoiled him for being such a good dog! A slice of buttered sourdough each morning, lots of treats, and an oh-so-comfortable life indoors for such a large dog is just not heard of.
Dakota was actually so timid, he was scared of other dogs, in particular, little dogs.
Dakota knew a few tricks! If you rested some bone treats on his muzzle, he would stay verrry still until you gave him the okay, and he'd lift up his nose and catch the bone mid air and trot off to enjoy them in the backyard.
I remember hearing stories about how when he was young, he would always get excited when visitors came over. The Barlow's would be SURE to put up the fence to keep him in the back of the house, but one day, even that was not enough to keep him away. He was so excited with one visitor, that he shot a steady stream of pee at her, all the way down the hall! He is an excited urinator.
One thing I'll always remember about him is that when I first met him in high school, when I was friends with Cody, he had a beautiful coat. And it happened to match the 'extreme' hairstyle Cody got that year to match me (or I'd like to think, Dakota)-- jet black hair with golden streaks left in his faux-hawk. What a pair they were.
The last few years, Dakota has been slowly losing his sight, never failing to bump into a wall, door, or person in his way, but can always hear you opening the pantry where the treats are. It made our walks very eventful when he would walk right into a pole. Reminds me of me.
At one point, he had to have what I call his "snaggle toe" removed, because it was infected, and on one foot he just had three toes on his paw, but he could walk just fine.
He also was growing what I liked to call his "baby," although his got much bigger than mine ever did. On his right side, he had this big bulge that kept growing and growing, full of fat, the doctors would say. Dad Barlow says perhaps Dakota may have had cancer, that in effect destroyed part of his digestive system. Perhaps the baby bulge was caused by that in part.
If you haven't read Marley and Me, and you love dogs, or at least love hearing stories about them, do read.
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