Merlin

My family lost a beloved member this weekend.  Merlin was the second greyhound that my parents had rescued and on Saturday he left this life to go on to another.  His brother, Jackson proceeded him in death in July.

Both of the greyhounds had been a part of the racing circuit, and thankfully, both had been surrendered to a rescue group.  It’s there that my parents found them.

Merlin was a very special companion animal to me.  He met me at the door, each and every single time I went to visit my parents, with a stuffed toy in his mouth.  Most often, he brought me one of the toys that I bought him.  I always wondered if he brought it to me because he wanted to show me how much he liked the toys I gave him.  Despite his large size (over 80 pounds of pure dog muscle), Merlin was a big gentle giant.  He tolerated my hugs without complaint and was a perfect gentleman on walks.  He would lay his head in my lap when I would sit down and nuzzle with me until I stood up.  I will miss him very, very much.

Merlin was not well and hadn’t been for awhile.  I attribute it to the years he spent on the racing circuit.  My parents provided him with a safe and loving home, but couldn’t erase the years he spent abused and neglected.  I also think that Merlin missed his brother, Jackson, very much.  The two were very much yin and yang.  One was white, the other black and both dogs took to each other extremely well.  On walks, they would be in tandem with each other’s pace.  They slept together, they ate together and played together.  They truly were, although not blood related, brothers in every sense of the word.

In the end, Merlin made a difficult climb upstairs to where he and Jackson slept to spend his final moments.  He passed in the home that had given him so much since his time on the tracks.  I am grateful that Merlin had a chance to know love, experience it and share his life with us.  You couldn’t ask for a better companion animal, or a more loving one.

Mister Merlin will not be forgotten.  But he will be missed very, very much.

Merlin and Jackson together again ~ RIP Sweet Boy

Please take some time to learn about the horrors of greyhound racing and what you can do to help by clicking on the links below.

The Humane Society of the United States – Greyhound racing

Greyhound Network News

Greyhound Protection League