Razzy Boy

Photo by Jessica Lee

They say the dog is man's best friend. That he is loyal, faithful, protective and never judges. He is the friend who is there for you when no one else is. He brings joy, laughter, and let's be honest, the odd moments of anger too. But above all of that, he brings many great memories to your life. Sometimes a dog will even bring you to tears...

Today the tears are tears of sorrow of a life past. The tears are for a friend who brought so much to our lives, yet never spoke a word. He didn't have to speak for you to get to know the kind of gentle soul he was. You just had to witness the way he pranced around with a prized stick in his mouth, or how he would get oh so close to new born baby without touching it, to realize how gentle he was. Always the gentleman, he would wait for you to walk down the stairs or out a door before he would follow. He was also the house exterminator - without hesitation, he would gulp up that scary looking spider or that pesky moth that had entered the house.

One of our fondest memories goes back to when he was a couple of years old. Stacey was walking Shiraz and the newly born Bronwyn at the dog park. A group of hornets surrounded the baby buggy and it looked certain that our precious baby would be stung. But the gentleman stepped in and wedged himself between the baby buggy and the hornets. He was stung three times. Bronwyn and Stacey were unharmed.

Today after a brief struggle with cancer Shiraz bid us farewell. No words can really express what he meant to our family. He was the dog you always dreamed of owning. He was gentle, kind and loved being around people.

When we picked his name over 11 and half years ago we could not have imagined that it would have suited him so perfectly:

In the words of Robert Parker of the Wine Advocate describing a Shiraz: full-bodied power, great definition and lovely elegance.

Please take a moment to view this incredible video that was made over 10 years ago by a very special friend.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9DZEZMKC4dg

Ian, Stacey, Bronwyn, Fintan and of course Mouton