Rest In Peace, Gerst

Gerst was the best dog any guy could have. He was with me in Evansville, Colorado, Kentucky and two houses in Indiana. He loved Jeanna when she was my girlfriend, fiance, my wife and the mother of our four children. He loved our kids and was gentle and kind to them until the last year of his life He used to sit up in the back ledge of my Buick, until he could no longer fit. He used to love walking in the mountains of Colorado, especially on the Mesa where he romped through the most perfect fields of wildflowers you have ever laid eyes upon. He has been tolerant of children climbing on him, running strollers into him and more than willing to help them get rid of unwanted items on their plates. He was a protector of our house, even in his old age. He once scared an intruder so badly that there was a pile of bags laying in front of our unlocked back door, with two wallets an iPod and a purse laying on the counter by the door untouched. He also caught a bird that flew in the house one time, something I was very thankful for because I have bird issues. Gerst just wasn't himself the last few years though. He was becoming more unpredictable around the kids, and snapping and scratching them. He scratced Jacqueline a few weeks ago and snapped at one of the neighbor girls the other day. He never truly hurt anyone of them, but it was a matter of time before he would have. His swollen arthritic legs were getting worse and worse, and he didn't do much but sleep any more. He hated going outside even on the most pleasant days. While it was probably one of the most sad things I ever had to do, I knew it had to be done. He was humanely tranquilized and euthanized on Saturday morning. I am thankful for the time I had with him but I already miss him greatly. He was a good boy.