Today was a sad day.  Our dog Cleo passed away this morning.  She was about 14, give or take. Our Vermont friends (who had originally adopted Cleo from a shelter) gave Cleo to our daughter Gwen because Gwen had really wanted a dog. We could not have gotten a better addition to the family.  In fact, she was the best dog.  She had an incredibly sweet and gentle personality.  I have always thought that in another life, Cleo would have made a top-notch therapy dog. She was part of our family for almost 10 years.  May she rest in peace (and get lots of treats in a better place).

One funny story about Cleo and her eating habits:  When we lived in Washington DC, we used to take walks at the C&O Canal (near Potomac).  On one walk we let her off-leash (which is actually prohibited, but there weren’t any other people or dogs around).  We let her out of our sights for just a few seconds.  When we next saw her, we were horrified:  Cleo was gorging herself on a pile of horse manure!  The path next to the C&O canal is frequently used by people riding their horses.  And apparently, as we learned later, labrador retrievers love the smell (and taste!) of horse manure.  After that, we always kept Cleo on a leash when we saw horse manure on the trail.

In her memory, here are a few pictures.