Wow, time flies.
Work has been busy, home has been busier.
The last month and a half have been difficult and heart wrenching.
You see, sometime back in October, our Beloved English bulldog Pogo began behaving oddly. He forgot how to sit. He lost interest in going for walks. He'd sleep all day and pace the house at night restlessly. He was cranky. We intially chalked this up to being in a new house. Then, he began to scream in pain for no reason, and seem to forget where he was. We took him to a vet. The gave him a clean bill of health physically, but said he was probably arthritic, since he was 8 years old (old for an English bulldog, since they usually live to be 10. Then, his condition worsened. He'd fall over on his side and be unable to right himself. When you would attempt to aid him, he'd scream. He became increasingly difficult for Sara to handle, as he weighed a little over 60 pounds. His sleep patterns became more erratic. I began sitting up with him all night in order to calm him down so he could sleep. This may sound extreme to those of you who do not own dogs, but you must understand, Pogo was like a son to us.
Finally, after a particularly difficult night, we took him to the vet to discuss options. After consulting with this new vet for 2 hours and our previous vet down in Burbank by phone, we decided it was best for Pogo that we put him to sleep and let him go. You have no idea how quiet the house is without him. Sara has spent many a night crying. It's hard to sit down and do the strip when that familiar load isn't laying across your feet snoring, as Pogo often did when I drew the strip. He was a comforting presence in my little drawing studio. It feels so empty without him. Sara says sometimes she can still hear him, snoring in his bed in the entertainment room, barking at a coyote in the back yard. Just this morning I thought I heard his nails scraping up the stairs. Pogo was a truly wonderful dog, smart, loving sensitive, incredibly loyal and fiercdly protective of his family, particularly Sara. Anyone who came to the house to do any type of work, be they plumber or carpenter knew they had to be respectful of Pogo and should not do anything that might be in any way percieved as an attack towards Sara as Pogo remained ever vigilant and would launch himself at a hapless craftsman at a moments notice, the most terrifying rumble issuing from deep within his chest.
We miss him terribly.
The strip will be back soon. I have one roughed out and ready to go.
Sorry it's taken so long. Thank you all for your patience. Perhaps a little later, I'll write up a few thoughts I have on the Schulz book, good and bad, and recommend a few other things that have inspired and intrigued me.
Thanks for listening. See you again soon.
-John
ps I posted a little 2x8 strip with some new characters over at Storyboredom. The link is on the right. Go check it out if you wish.
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