Tributes

August 2013 - April 2024

Moss

Light a Candle for Moss

About Moss

Greyhound

New York, NY

Scrambled eggs

Sofas, sunbeams

Sit, wait, and 'cheese', which was less a trick and more a summoning.

Any tricks or words they knew?

-----

Baths. He would go boneless and stare at me with genuine betrayal.

Was there anything they really disliked?

-----

Breakfast, then the long inspection of the fence line, then eight hours of dedicated sleeping, then dinner negotiations.

Did you have a little ritual together?

-----

A full-body wiggle and a howl that the neighbors could set their watches by.

How did they greet you when you came home?

-----

Inside the laundry basket, on the warm clothes, no matter how many beds we bought him.

Where did they love to sleep or curl up?

-----

He sang. Not barked, sang, one long ascending note whenever the mail arrived, whether or not there was mail.

What were their funny habits or quirks?

-----

He was retired from racing at four and nobody wanted him because he was too shy to greet people. It took him six weeks to come out from behind the armchair.

How they came into your life?

You were never too much. You were exactly right.

A message you'd like to say to them

-----

Let him find whatever he was always looking for.

If they were here right now, what would you do?

-----

Sitting on the back step in June while he lay in the last patch of sun, sighing like an old man.

What was your last happy moment together?

-----

The sound of a cheese wrapper, and the mail truck at eleven.

What reminds you of them? (song, place, object...)

-----

He once followed a barbecue smell for half a mile and joined a family reunion. They sent me photos before they sent me a phone call.

The funniest thing they ever did?

-----

The time he went missing for five hours and we found him asleep in a stranger's kitchen, having let himself in through a cat flap he did not fit through.

A memory you'll never forget?

Saturday mornings he got the corner of my toast. He waited by the toaster from the moment it went down.

Did you have a little ritual together?

-----

A road trip down the Oregon coast where he barked at every single sea lion in Newport for an hour.

What adventures or trips did you share?

-----

He would climb into my lap even though he was far too big, and refuse to acknowledge that he was too big.

How did they comfort you on a hard day?

-----

My neighbor's beagle, Ruth. They dug under the fence to see each other so often we eventually just put in a gate.

Did they have a best friend, animal or human?

-----

Whoever was holding food. He was completely honest about it.

Who was their favourite person?

Saturday mornings he got the corner of my toast. He waited by the toaster from the moment it went down.

Did you have a little ritual together?

-----

A road trip down the Oregon coast where he barked at every single sea lion in Newport for an hour.

What adventures or trips did you share?

-----

He would climb into my lap even though he was far too big, and refuse to acknowledge that he was too big.

How did they comfort you on a hard day?

-----

My neighbor's beagle, Ruth. They dug under the fence to see each other so often we eventually just put in a gate.

Did they have a best friend, animal or human?

-----

Whoever was holding food. He was completely honest about it.

Who was their favourite person?

Sit, wait, and 'cheese', which was less a trick and more a summoning.

Any tricks or words they knew?

-----

Baths. He would go boneless and stare at me with genuine betrayal.

Was there anything they really disliked?

-----

Breakfast, then the long inspection of the fence line, then eight hours of dedicated sleeping, then dinner negotiations.

Did they have a daily routine?

-----

A full-body wiggle and a howl that the neighbors could set their watches by.

How did they greet you when you came home?

-----

Inside the laundry basket, on the warm clothes, no matter how many beds we bought him.

Where did they love to sleep or curl up?

-----

He sang. Not barked, sang, one long ascending note whenever the mail arrived, whether or not there was mail.

What were their funny habits or quirks?

-----

He was retired from racing at four and nobody wanted him because he was too shy to greet people. It took him six weeks to come out from behind the armchair.

How they came into your life?

You were never too much. You were exactly right.

A message you'd like to say to them

-----

Let him find whatever he was always looking for.

If they were here right now, what would you do?

-----

Sitting on the back step in June while he lay in the last patch of sun, sighing like an old man.

What was your last happy moment together?

-----

The sound of a cheese wrapper, and the mail truck at eleven.

What reminds you of them? (song, place, object...)

-----

He once followed a barbecue smell for half a mile and joined a family reunion. They sent me photos before they sent me a phone call.

The funniest thing they ever did?

-----

The time he went missing for five hours and we found him asleep in a stranger's kitchen, having let himself in through a cat flap he did not fit through.

A memory you'll never forget?

Hilarious

Greedy

Loud

About Nora

Sit, wait, and 'cheese', which was less a trick and more a summoning.

Any tricks or words they knew?

-----

Baths. He would go boneless and stare at me with genuine betrayal.

Was there anything they really disliked?

-----

Breakfast, then the long inspection of the fence line, then eight hours of dedicated sleeping, then dinner negotiations.

Did they have a daily routine?

-----

A full-body wiggle and a howl that the neighbors could set their watches by.

How did they greet you when you came home?

-----

Inside the laundry basket, on the warm clothes, no matter how many beds we bought him.

Where did they love to sleep or curl up?

-----

He sang. Not barked, sang, one long ascending note whenever the mail arrived, whether or not there was mail.

What were their funny habits or quirks?

-----

He was retired from racing at four and nobody wanted him because he was too shy to greet people. It took him six weeks to come out from behind the armchair.

How they came into your life?

You were never too much. You were exactly right.

A message you'd like to say to them

-----

Let him find whatever he was always looking for.

If they were here right now, what would you do?

-----

Sitting on the back step in June while he lay in the last patch of sun, sighing like an old man.

What was your last happy moment together?

-----

The sound of a cheese wrapper, and the mail truck at eleven.

What reminds you of them? (song, place, object...)

-----

He once followed a barbecue smell for half a mile and joined a family reunion. They sent me photos before they sent me a phone call.

The funniest thing they ever did?

-----

The time he went missing for five hours and we found him asleep in a stranger's kitchen, having let himself in through a cat flap he did not fit through.

A memory you'll never forget?

Saturday mornings he got the corner of my toast. He waited by the toaster from the moment it went down.

Did you have a little ritual together?

-----

A road trip down the Oregon coast where he barked at every single sea lion in Newport for an hour.

What adventures or trips did you share?

-----

Inside the laundry basket, on the warm clothes, no matter how many beds we bought him.

How did they comfort you on a hard day?

-----

My neighbor's beagle, Ruth. They dug under the fence to see each other so often we eventually just put in a gate.

Did they have a best friend, animal or human?

-----

Whoever was holding food. He was completely honest about it.

Who was their favourite person?