baroqueflutist's photostream  

Magnus was a beautiful boy. In my mind, I shall see him always with that bounce in his step and boundless enthusiasm. He was so smart -- and more than a bit mischievous, swiping my socks with an impish look while making a quick getaway and raiding the wastebaskets daily. We feel very lucky to have known him and terrible to have lost him so early.

Magnus, "a force to be reckoned with," as my niece Jennifer wrote. He had friends and fans far and wide, more than I can know. We would walk down a Rockridge street, and people would call from porches, "Hi, Magnus!" You and they watched him grow from 20 lbs. to over 150 in little more than a year, tail ever wagging, always hopeful for a pet. At Bucci's Restaurant, where he held forth beneath "his" tree several times a week, I recently heard someone say, "I look forward to seeing this gorgeous dog here." As Bucci said, "Magnus wasn't only a dog, he was a personality."

To Magnus, who lived each day as if there were no other

We will plant a garden here, overlooking Mt. Vision and Tomales Bay.

We adored Magnus. He was our joy to know and care for, and we are heartbroken, devastated that he should die so young and in this way, and we, unable to save him. I will retire this Flickr site in his memory, although I will mount several short videos of him when "small." I will still visit your sites and may eventually start another, but I want this one to stand as is.

If any of Magnus' Flickr friends, who have kindly followed his adventures for the last year, would like to know what happened, please send me an e-mail address. He did not die in the ocean or in any situation that would seem dangerous. He died, suddenly and traumatically, in a small, quiet pond, which I now know could happen to any dog. This is very frightening for all dogs that enjoy the water. A friend who was present, a vet, said "In 40 years, I have never known a dog to drown," but after what I experienced, I am now surprised it is not more common.