Gunther, OurVery Good Boy
Loyal to his very last moments
Gunther was our pet as well as my confidante and our first baby. Most of all, he was a really good boy. Such a good, good boy. He was loyal and literally a lifesaver. Gunther, our handsome golden retriever, went out in a repugnant blast of glory.
Gunther made our lives more interesting. Like a lot of men, my husband’s manly-man persona crumbles around animals. When Gunther was a puppy, we lost him. On his second night with us, he squished himself up between the bedroom wall and our pillows while we slept. It was probably only minutes but it felt like much longer while we desperately looked high and low to find him. We found his fluffy little body curled under our pillows. Gosh, he was cute. My husband was visibly relieved when we found him again, cuddling him to his chest protectively.
When we put Gunther to bed on his first night with us, my husband teased me for giving the dog a kiss on the cheek goodnight. He hadn’t grown up doing that with the family pet. I don’t remember kissing my family pet as a child either, but our new puppy was just so adorable! I kissed him out of instinct. Years later, my husband pampers our second dog so much, carefully preparing all of his meals and cuddling with him constantly. I’m pretty sure he sneaks kisses, too.
