Our beloved akita, Cagney, is gone. We made the decision to let him cross the rainbow bridge to be with Teddy, Saki, Jade, Nakita, Lady, Chappie, and Ajax just before Christmas.

When trying to decide how to start this, my first blog. I initially thought I should start on an upbeat note, so that seemed to preclude writing about something as sad as Cagney’s passing. I wanted to keep on a positive note, but I was feeling anything but positive since the day we let him go.

Now I realize that my musings about Cagney are probably some of the most positive feelings I have to share at the moment. He was such a joy, our golden-retriever-in-an- akita-coat, as we liked to refer to him. That huge, curled akita tail would spin like a helicopter blade in stark contrast to those of our other akitas, whose dignified tails lightly brushed across their backs in a very controlled, dignified, akita-like manner.

With Glenn’s help, Cagney went from being the typical quiet akita to a very vocal one. He would greet us with various woofs, each with its one meaning. He would try to imitate us as we would question, “Do you want to go ‘owsahhh’ (outside)?” We would carry on whole conversations, he and I, throughout the day. The most wonderful sensation was the force of his breath on my face whenever he spoke.

He was, after all, a powerful dog. He may have been a wimp in so many ways, but he was still a strong force to be reckoned with. Three or four swipes of his paw were all it would take to dig a hole big enough to plant a good sized tree.

I still see that big black bear of a face staring out the window whenever I pull up in the driveway and I hear his footsteps every night on the stairs. I hear him “whisper” in my ear in the early morning, and his rhythmic breathing late at night. He still fills our house with his gentle, loving ways. Of course, I will be finding his shedding in nooks and crannies for a long time to come.

Have to stop now. Can’t see to type.

Cagney’s huge happy face