::alio!::

crossing the rainbow bridge

When beloved pets die, the euphemism is that they cross the rainbow bridge.

Well on Thursday at 3:30 in the afternoon, a dog who was more a friend than a pet to everyone, made his trip across that same bridge, after a mercifully brief battle with bone cancer.

Duke was the largest Great Dane I have ever seen, weighing in at close to two hundred pounds. And yet he still believed he was a lap dog. His owner was my boss at Bark & Fitz last year, and that year was one of the best in my life. Duke was such a fixture at B&F that he had his own shifts, sometimes working a day even when his owner wasn't around. He had his own fan following, and his own social club, and he modeled professionally. People who try to tell me that dogs aren't people never met Duke, and I think they really missed out on something truly special.

So my heart and my best wishes go out to Amanda, Matt, Angel, Bosco, and, of course, to you, Duke.