A week of great sadness has swept through our lives: first I lost a friend and teammate (See three posts below) and now, our joy-filled, spirited little black cocker TUCKERTON (named after Tuckerton Seaport on the New Jersey shore, because we lived nearby when he was born) has passed suddenly in the night.

We have had many dogs in our lives (10 or 12, I believe; 7 in our 23 years of marriage) — and thankfully, still have our 12 1/2 year-old female golden retriever, Barnegat, though her legs are slowing — but Tuckerton is the only one who had a tail that never stopped wagging!

He was happy, even up to his final moments last night, and for all the joy and unsolicited love he delivered, we shall be eternally grateful.

Tuckerton was Kathy’s full-time companion (she called him “T” and “Friar Tuck”) and I think she loved him as she often said, “more than life itself.” He was my favorite office visitor and stress-reliever.

He would bound up and down our flights of stairs like a rocketship … to chase a ball or bark greetings to a visitor. He would snuggle up in my lap, pressing his entire body into my chest, still of course wagging that constantly-in-motion tail.

He was Barnegat’s “little brother” in every sense of the word, following her everywhere, sometimes walking under her, and practically sleeping on top of her in the car. Loud noises sent him scrambling to get behind her. They would shake paws together for treats every night and exchange barks from rooms apart on those rare occasions when they were rooms apart. Barnegat will miss him every bit as much as we already do.

Tuckerton has inspired characters and names in my fiction writing, and his overall happiness literally invaded our every home and office space every day… truly a dog sent from heaven. God Bless You, Tuckerton.

We shall carry your spirit forward with us, Buddy Boy, but we’ll miss you always. # 

THANK YOU FRIENDS FOR THE MANY DOZENS OF NOTES WE’VE ALREADY RECEIVED. IT’S NICE TO SEE THIS SPECIAL DOG WAS SO APPRECIATED.