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GOODBYE TO A GOOD FRIEND

April 23, 2014

I try not to get overly personal here and I hate to do posts that can be kind of a downer. But I would be remiss in not remembering a great friend here.

Yesterday we had to say goodbye to what was certainly one of the world’s greatest dogs. At just about 10 years and 7 months old, our Newfoundland Hudson was sound in spirit but his body was failing him. He suffered a lot of orthopedic issues in his life and they all caught up with him. If he had been a smaller dog, we could have carried him in and out of the house, but this is one of those things you sign up for when you get a giant breed dog. The fact that he was in great health otherwise made this decision that much more difficult for us.

I know that everyone’s dogs are special to them, but Hudson and I had bond from the moment we met. He was a proud beast, who wanted nothing more than to be given a job and carry it out. He did that literally, by carrying in our groceries, getting the newspaper and delivering flowers to me when Mr. Much More Patient would bring them home for me. Most Newfoundlands are excellent swimmers and have a natural instinct for water rescue, but Hudson was special even in that regard. At 8 months old I took him to water rescue training (Newfoundlands can earn titles for water rescue) and he did almost every exercise immediately. We tried three times to get that water title before his joint problems and the resulting surgeries got in the way, and we failed every time on the same exercise: the one where he had to leave my side to go out and take a line to a drowning “victim.”

That’s the thing, he never wanted to leave my side. We achieved other things together. He got a draft title in one try, by my side. We explored the beach together every weekend. We swam in Lake Michigan together, him towing me (and any neighbor kids who were around) over and over again. It was never clear who was having more fun.

As anyone who has had a beloved pet will tell you, the problem with pets is that in the end, you always have to say goodbye.

A friend posted something on my Facebook page this morning: The luckiest people in the world have shared their life with a good dog.

I am indeed fortunate.

newfoundlands paint
by Erin @ The Impatient Gardener 
22 Comments

About Erin @ The Impatient Gardener

View all posts by Erin @ The Impatient Gardener

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Comments

  1. Cortney says: April 23, 2014 at 3:04 pm

    A beautiful and well written homage to your loyal companion. Losing pets isn't ever easy and is always truly heartbreaking, but in the end, the fact that you both were able to share your lives together is a wonderful and precious gift. My condolences.

    Reply
  2. Stacey {steward of design} says: April 23, 2014 at 3:08 pm

    I'm so sorry for your loss. Losing a pet is always so hard. 🙁

    Reply
  3. Ashton Kessler says: April 23, 2014 at 3:12 pm

    Bless your heart. Losing a pet is the worst. Sending you and your family good thoughts.

    Reply
  4. Kara says: April 23, 2014 at 3:27 pm

    I am so sorry for your loss. (I grew up with Newfies too and know what an awesome breed they are.) There is always that one dog that will always hold a special place in our hearts. Sending you good thoughts and prayers.

    Reply
  5. Shannon says: April 23, 2014 at 3:29 pm

    I'm so sorry about your wonderful Hudson, we're dog people too and it's always so hard to lose them. We had a newfoundland when I was a really little girl- she was super sweet and so calm, I remember getting in big trouble with my mother for running down the hallway and taking a flying leap over her-she was always really still but mom was so afraid we'd accidentally land on her and hurt her. My thoughts are with you guys!

    Reply
  6. Christy Sheets says: April 23, 2014 at 3:38 pm

    Thoughts and prayers are with you and your family. I sometimes think I kiss our dog as much as I kiss my husband! They are indeed special and we never forgot those we loved.

    Reply
  7. Laura says: April 23, 2014 at 6:03 pm

    Long time lurker here. He was a handsome boy and every Newf I have known has been a great dog – I am sorry for your loss and you have done a beautiful job paying tribute to him. I have a St. Bernard about to turn 10, and I know his time is coming, and that is something that I do not want to think about. Your friend is right – we are all truly lucky to share our lives with a good dog.

    Reply
  8. Katie @ Team Skelley says: April 23, 2014 at 6:09 pm

    Oh, Mr. Hudson. You will be missed, you handsome fella. I am really sorry, Erin.

    Reply
  9. Layne says: April 23, 2014 at 8:29 pm

    What a beautiful boy. Newfs are truly gentle giants, and I am sure he was no exception. I loved seeing him in your Christmas card post thru the years.
    I am so sorry for your loss.

    Reply
  10. Loi Thai, Tone on Tone says: April 23, 2014 at 10:12 pm

    Dear Erin – I am so sorry to hear about Hudson. He was a handsome, gentle giant, and I will miss seeing him on your blog. Do you know the story about pets going over the rainbow bridge? It is one my mother would always tell us whenever we lost a pet. Take care, Loi

    Reply
  11. Mary says: April 23, 2014 at 11:56 pm

    Erin, I am so sorry for your loss. I lost my second dog 23 years ago and only last year did I open it up to a new puppy. I have missed all the fun and love (and mess) and finally said yes to the kids request for a dog. I know where it will end up, but what a ride it will be.

    Reply
  12. Ms. Wis./Each Little World says: April 24, 2014 at 12:24 am

    Hope your garden can help soothe these difficult days. But your friend's comment on FB is so true, even if it is hard to feel that way at the moment.

    Reply
  13. Libby says: April 24, 2014 at 1:21 am

    Erin: It is truly one of the most difficult moments in our life, when we have to say goodbye to our best and loyal friend. The final day with our dog was so awful that I don't think we can ever have another one… I am so sorry for your loss and am thinking of you.

    Reply
  14. Raven Hill Meadows says: April 24, 2014 at 1:53 am

    Oh how sad, Erin. We had a longhaired shephard when I was young and it was heartbreaking when he died at only 9 years old. I haven't owned another dog since. So sorry for your loss.

    Reply
  15. Kris Peterson says: April 24, 2014 at 4:10 am

    My condolences on the loss of your beloved Hudson. I know such losses leave a vacancy in the heart.

    Reply
  16. Steph says: April 24, 2014 at 5:04 am

    So sorry for your loss!!! He was a handsome fella! I am 5 years into my first dog and can't imagine life without her. I dread the rainbow bridge day.

    Reply
  17. Heather - New House New Home says: April 24, 2014 at 11:19 am

    Oh Erin, I'm so sorry! I've had three dogs and have never had to say goodbye to two of them (long stories that end with me not having the dogs at the end of their lives). I can't imagine what it will be like when we have to say goodbye to our little Jesse (8 months old now).
    Your trips to the lake won't be the same.

    Reply
  18. Maureen says: April 25, 2014 at 12:27 am

    We lost our boy (a 100 lb lab/shepherd mix) when he was 10 years old. That was 10 years ago. Your post brought tears. Still miss him. We are indeed fortunate. He was a very good dog.

    Reply
  19. beezkneesss says: April 25, 2014 at 6:32 am

    please accept my condolences… i know how hard it is and know, you were loved so deeply by that furball… sending you tons of hugs your way…

    Reply
  20. JD says: April 25, 2014 at 1:30 pm

    Dear Erin, So sorry for your loss. What a majestic dog. jd

    Reply
  21. Maureen says: April 26, 2014 at 6:12 pm

    Hudson was a beautiful dog. I will miss seeing him in your pics. I'm sorry for the pain you are feeling now. I've been through it and I know how difficult it is. I also know you wouldn't trade the time you had with him for anything.

    Reply
  22. Mary says: June 13, 2018 at 1:45 pm

    We lost our Newf Ozzy December 13, 2014 suddenly… he was only 6 1/2… and we still miss his “presence”… Newfs are such a special breed…. there has not been a week that has gone by without a mention of him… usually accompanied by laughter… how blessed you were to have Hudson for so long…. this paragraph from The Darkest Evening of The Year by Dean Koontz has always given me solace…. I hope it does the same for you…

    “Dogs’ lives are short, too short, but you know that going in. You know the pain is coming, you’re going to lose a dog, and there’s going to be great anguish, so you live fully in the moment with her, never fail to share her joy or delight in her innocence, because you can’t support the illusion that a dog can be your lifelong companion. There’s such a beauty in the hard honesty of that, in accepting and giving love while always aware it comes with an unbearable price. Maybe loving dogs is a way we do penance for all the other illusions we allow ourselves and for the mistakes we make because of those illusions.

    From ‘The Darkest Evening of the Year’
    By Dean Koontz

    Reply

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About

The Impatient Gardener

Do you love gardening? Me too! I'm Erin and I garden in Southeastern Wisconsin, zone 5. The Impatient Gardener is all about real-life gardening: the good parts, the bad bits and even the funny stuff. It's part information, part inspiration and a little bit commiseration. Thanks for visiting.

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Erin Schanen 🌿 The Impatient Gardener
I fell in love with gardening through container de I fell in love with gardening through container design and it’s probably still my favorite type of gardening. My trip to Philadelphia area gardens was full of so many excellent ideas. For several years I’ve been enamored with clustered pots, but in my opinion they work best when they are able to stand alone in a space. And you probably know me well enough by now to know that as far as I’m concerned, the bigger the pot, the better. Feast your eyes on these beauties and use your zooming fingers to really get into those nooks and crannies. 

Don’t forget to save your favorites because you know you’re going to be looking for them come next spring. 😀

Photos 1 & 2: Amazing container cluster at @longwoodgardens  that works particularly well because of the restraint used in the design. Also how many different ways is the universe going to tell me I need to grow agave before I actually listen?

Photo 3: This was probably favorite display I saw the whole time and of course it’s from the masters at @chanticleergarden This is a master class in texture. It’s also probably not attainable for the average home gardener because it relies heavily on tropicals that need proper overwintering in order to reach a good size. But there’s no reason why I (or you) couldn’t use this as inspiration to create a similar feel with other plants. 

Photo 4: Strappy foliage, bright orange and colorful pots create such a good doorway collection at @chanticleergarden 

Photo 5, 6 & 7: Similar colors were used at a patio doorway at Steve and Ann Hutton’s Owl Creek Farm home garden. A pot is perfectly framed by an arbor off a side patio. The front entrance has a pink theme (and an amazing feature pot that I couldn’t show here because all my shots are vertical). 

Photo 8: Back to @chanticleergarden where I could have studied this container planting for an hour just to soak up all the detail. 

Photo 9: And while I love a pot with a lot going on, never underestimate the power of a simply planted, gorgeous pot, like this one at @abunting64 garden Belvidere. 

#gbfling2023
I think every garden probably needs a little bit o I think every garden probably needs a little bit of water, even if it’s just a bird bath. All of the fabulous gardens I saw recently in the Philadelphia area incorporated water into them. Here are just a few examples of how lovely these water features were. 

@paxsonhillfarm @northviewgarden @brandywinecottage @longwoodgardens #gbfling2023
Gardens must have places to relax and enjoy the vi Gardens must have places to relax and enjoy the view even though we all know that most of us rarely take the opportunity to use them. The seating I saw in gardens in the Philadelphia area reflected their gardens and all were special. 

Make sure to share your favorite!

Photo 1:  I adored these perfectly lichen-covered chairs at @brandywinecottage

Photo 2: Great lichen game on this bench at Wayne Guymon’s mind-blowing garden WynEden. 

Photo 3: Perhaps my favorite seating moment of the whole trip was this chair in @jennyrosecarey @northviewgarden . Not only was it perfectly lichen covered (are you sensing a theme here?) but a volunteer cleome was growing right up through the middle of it. Unfortunately this photo of it isn’t grata because by this point in the trip my phone (I didn’t want to use my DSLR in the middle of the tropical storm so I switched to my phone) was getting very grumpy about the rain. 

Photo 4: I’d be happy to hang out on these chairs in @abunting64 ‘s gorgeous garden Belvidere. I loved this space. 

Photo 5: Color was the name of the game on this patio at Steve and Ann Hutton’s Owl Creek Farm. 

Photo 6: The most original table and benches I saw were at @abunting64 garden. This was a portion of the garden that was actually on the neighbors’ property adjacent to Andrew’s. It had been a vegetable garden but is getting a bit too shady so it will soon have a new life. 

Photo 7: We visited Barbara Tiffany’s Mill Fleurs in a deluge, which is a shame, and dotted throughout the property are examples of her husband Tiff’s amazing furniture. This was, called the Centipede was upholstered and quite different from the others. All were amazing works of art. 

Photos 8 and 9: The @scott_arboretum at @swarthmorecollege had some excellent seating, from brand new @deebenarc chairs to more lichen-covered charmers.

#gbfling2023
*** I can already see that some people do not unde *** I can already see that some people do not understand humor so let me just say this: 1. I was fully aware of the escaped convict situation (I’m an avid follower of the news, which is common for us journalists). 2. It’s ok to laugh about the fact that I’ve missed the Longwood meadow twice through weird circumstances while being a rational adult and realizing that I’m not making light of the situation that led to the meadow being mown. ***

I missed seeing @longwoodgardens beautiful meadow the first time I visited so I was excited to see it the second time. Not so fast! Turns out it had to be mown down during the search for an escaped convict who was hiding out there (at least that’s what I was told was the reason for the mowing). He’ll never see goldenrod the same way again! 😀

That whole situation was really unfortunate for @longwoodgardens (not to mention everyone who lives in the area), which had to be closed for about a week while the hunt was on!
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