[Honolulu_Blue]

Aegon Targaryen Boivin, first of his name, Aegon The Adorable, Aegon The Unlikely, Aegon Underfoot
Today I had to say goodbye for the last time to my dog, Aegon.

Over ten years ago, in May of 2006, we adopted him and Duncan, who we gave to my parents and is still with them today, from the Detroit Animal Control. He and I have been through a lot since then.

"Madness and greatness are two sides of the same coin. Every time a new Targaryen is born, the gods toss the coin in the air and the world holds its breath to see how it will land.” - A Storm of Swords.

Aegon was both sides of that same coin.

There was some madness in him.

He wasn't the easiest dog in the world. He was nervous, reactive, territorial of his house, protective of me, and at some point years ago determined he was anti-social. The list of things the poor guy was afraid of is as long as it is random: umbrellas, plastic bags, balloons, the crackling of the fire, the bass of my surround system, any kind of beeping, the sound of heavy trucks passing, fireworks (of course), thunder, heavy rains that accompany thunder, strong wins that bring heavy rains that accompany thunder, my voice whenever I was on a work call, the washing of dishes, vacuums, car windows, etc., etc.

He never got used to kids - excitement, loud noises, and sudden movements were things he wasn't accustomed to. At some point early on, he decided that he had enough friends and was very particular about who he'd let into his pack. He hated cats. And the doorbell. And would not permit anyone to approach us whilst on a walk.

There was also much greatness in him.

In his environment and with those (15 or so people) he was comfortable with, he was a great dog. From the day we brought him home, he loved nothing more to sit in a lap. He craved physical contact. Despite early attempts to keep him off the furniture, he quickly became a 60 lbs. lap dog that was allowed pretty much everywhere. Almost every morning, I would get up an hour and a half early just to take him for a walk and then come home to snuggle with him on the couch for an hour or so while I drank my coffee and watched whatever shows I had on the DVR.

Despite his anti-social ways at home and on walks, when he was at Pawz Inn, his daycare/boarding place, his home away from home, he was incredibly sociable. He would hangout, play, and snuggle up with special needs students who visited once a week. He was great with those kids and with the other dogs, though he still hated cats.

He was smart. He had a pretty decent vocabulary for being a dog. He knew the word squirrel (any toy), dinner (any meal), stroll, sit, shake, outside, settle, "leave it", and okay. He even knew some hand gestures.

He loved to go for walks (primarily to get treats at Cafe Muse and to hunt for and consume any variety of edible unidentified street objects), snuggle, play with the hose, play with his toys, always preferring the newest toy (even after eviscerating them), run around (and bark), wrestle (only with me), but, most of all, he loved food.

We let him lick the plates after meals in exchange for no begging while eating. This worked pretty well, up until he decided that the meal should be over. Since he was so attuned to me in pretty much every way, his meal timer was more or less set to how long I take to eat, which is pretty fast. So, if there was ever too much conversation during a meal, or if someone ate too slowly, Aegon would grow restless. He'd stare. He'd whine. He'd harumph and stomp around. And, lastly, bark petulantly at the inexcusable delay.

I wouldn't feed him breakfast until after 5 am. And it was remarkable how often he woke me up within 3-5 minutes of 5 am.

I'll miss having coffee with him on the couch in the morning. I'll miss the sound of his tail thumping when he heard me first thing in the morning. I'll miss that intense look he gave me when asking for his first, second, sometimes fifth or six dinners of the evening. I'll miss how excited he got about the things he loved. How he'd jump and spin in the air if something good was going into his bowl. How he bounced like a gazelle when he was let outside. How he pranced into the kitchen for dinners. I'll miss how excited he got every time I picked him up from Pawz Inn, whether he'd been there just for the day or for a week. I'll miss our daily strolls together, even those when it was super cold out, perhaps especially those. I'll miss his snoring. I'll miss his farts. I'll miss how his ears used to get turned inside out sometimes. I'll miss his loud, content sighs when he'd melt into a lap. I'll miss how he'd herd and harass me all around the house when he felt like he was over due for a walk. I will miss his strong, quirky personality. I will miss how in tune we were with each other. How much we enjoyed our routines together.

I will miss my dog. I will miss him dearly.

He's been by my side and a constant source of comfort and calm during some very rough times over the last several years.

He was a great dog. A great friend.

I love you, pal. Thanks for being my dog.