When I got divorced, I lost custody of my dog Tiger.  With apologies to Miley, Tiger was the best dog I’ve ever owned.  He was very mild mannered and I could walk him pretty much anywhere without a leash.  When we picked him out at the shelter, he was the only dog not barking his head off at us.  He sat in the back of the cage with a “What the hell do you want? You’re not going to pick me.” look on his face.

Because of this look, we decided to take him out for a walk.  Even in a light rain, he immediately laid down on the ground and asked for us to scratch his belly.  At that moment, we knew we were going home with him.  He knew how to sell us and his plan worked to perfection.

When I was planning my cross-country drive, I made arrangements with my ex-wife to grab Tiger for an afternoon.  My plan was to take him to the same park we always went to.  It was Harbin Park, the park right near my mother’s old house.  Even after all her hard work in getting rid of that house (and cleaning it, preparing it for sale – all by herself), we would still take him there for walks.  After all, it was his park no matter where we lived.

I picked him up yesterday and of course he recognized me.  He was really happy to see me and whimpered more than usual.  As I walked him to the car, I noticed that the old boy didn’t move as well has he used to.  Twelve years and a case of arthritis had caused my once quick and nimble puppy to become an old and slow dog.  His spirit remains, but his aged body just can’t keep up with his will anymore.  He even struggled to get into my car.

When we arrived at the park, he knew exactly where we were going.  He headed for the familiar clearing in the bushes where we had walked many times before.  He knew the route, but his age and the humidity slowed his pace.  Noticing his struggle, I directed him over to a shady area under a big tree.

Under that tree is where we had our final walk.  He used to rule that park and I’d get worn out chasing him all over the place.  Yesterday, he was content just to sit there while I petted him and caught him up on everything going on in my life.  A few people walked by and Tiger didn’t seem interested in them at all.  He was happy just to be sitting in the shade with his ex-owner.

Just like always, Tiger was sure to roll over on to his back and ask for a belly rub.  It was the same move he pulled over eleven years ago and once again it worked.  It was tough leaving him because I knew it was probably the last time I would ever see him.

Tiger, I’m sorry to have broken up our home.  Even your current owner would admit that I did it the “right” way, which is very important to me.  I hope you know that it was the best thing for everyone involved.

Thanks for being such a great dog.