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| Name: |
Simon
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Age: |
Deceased, Fifteen years old
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| Gender: |
Male |
Breed: |
Dog |
| Home: |
Florida, USA |
Simon
Peter Reichert was born eighteen months prior to the time he entered the
home and hearts of the Reichert family. He had been featured as the "Pet
of the Week" in the Tallahassee Democrat the month before and had been
adopted by a nice young FSU college student. That student soon realized
that a full time schedule of classes, a full time job, and a one bedroom
apartment did not suit a young, exuberant, and people-friendly 27-pound
dog. Thus, Simon ended up back in the Tallahassee Democrat - this time in
the classifieds with "free to a good home" attached.
About this same time, a young mother of three small boys was carefully
perusing said ads looking for just the right pet for her family of five.
She had in her mind to find a terrier mix along the lines of Benji from
the movie, and she had been diligently looking for a few months when she
noticed the ad about a terrier mix in the paper. The timing was perfect
as the less than enthusiastic about owning a dog dad/husband of the
family was out of town on business. Her plan (okay-plot) was to have
said pet firmly established as a family member prior to his return.
A few phone calls later, the boys and their mom were on their way to
meet Simon. They walked into the apartment and sat down. Simon greeted
them with a smile and a tail wag. He came over to the mom, put his paws
on her knee, then laid his sweet head on her lap and looked up at her
with soulful brown eyes. He was way bigger than her Benji image, with
reddish fur and a sturdy frame, but there was no way the Reicherts were
leaving that day without Simon ... and so it was.
He was such a good dog. He loved to run, he loved to eat, he loved to
visit the neighbor dogs , and most of all, he loved us. He was so well
mannered and polite. He was friendly to a fault. He was a great
predictor of the weather ... we always knew when a thunderstorm was
headed our direction because Simon would end up shivering in the
bathroom behind the toilet well before its arrival.
I remember his first Christmas with us. We had carefully selected and
wrapped his gifts and placed them under the tree. He just as carefully
ferreted them out and opened them one by one ... careful not to disturb
any of the other gifts. He was so smart and so sweet and such a good
dog.
I always bragged to everyone that we got the most wonderful dog for
free. Then came the day that Simon tried to jump the chain link fence,
became tangled, and broke his leg. Our free dog quickly became our $500
dog ... but I would have paid ten times that to keep him healthy and
with us. He survived the surgery and the indignity of the big cone
around his neck to keep him from tearing at the bandages. He never did
learn his lesson about jumping fences - we just had to get a bigger
fence. He then learned how to open the gate (we nicknamed him The
Houdini Dog), and we learned to keep it locked.
Over the years, he was a dear companion, a friend to all three boys and
dad Phil, and a comfort to me. He got slower and grayer and gradually lost
his hearing, but he never lost his enthusiasm for life or his love and
devotion for us. He was a sweet and gentle soul, and our lives were
enriched and blessed by his presence.
On Friday, March 10, 2006, Simon Peter Reichert quietly left us. He will
be remembered with smiles and head shakes and a tear or two. It's the
end of an age. He was kind enough to grace us with his friendship and
love for fourteen years, and we - each one of us - are the better for it. He
will remain in our hearts, and he will be missed.
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