Sirius | Bluenote Sirius Black, OTR, RATI, RATN

March 15, 2022:

We've lost the best pack leader we are likely to ever have. Tonight the brightest star in the sky will be just a bit brighter.

What can I say about Sirius. He has been the best dog we've ever had. Sometimes gifts come to you and you don't realize it right away. That's how Sirius developed into the amazing dog he was. He was so loud on the way home from Jerry & Vada's. He was brought up mostly by Cora with some playtime with Ned, and maybe that helped him become what he was? Anyway, a few traits I will remember him for.

The first is his sense of humor. I have never had a dog enjoy making me laugh so much. And boy did he ever try when I was feeling down. Dogs are sensitive to our emotions, yes, but what Sirius did is try to bring me out of my many funks, and I feel so grateful to have had him in my life.

The other is his unflappability. Sirius helped me with Cora's untimely death. He was there when Ned had to say goodbye. He got to be the only dog for a few months. But then I started volunteering with WRAP, and rescues started coming in and out of the door. There was absolutely no better role model than Sirius, always unruffled, always sure. And when Dawn died, I brought in non-WRAP rescues: Bean, Poe, Ticket. He treated them all the same. I cannot imagine how that must be, to be so solid on your ground that constant changes don't affect your disposition. I have admired this about Sirius for many years. I'm sure he tried to teach me as best he could.

Sirius was oversize but his heart was on the straight track. He finally got to compete as a legend at the WRA National a couple years ago and I am so grateful for that. An oval meet was never a sure bet. The first program, yes, he'd run, but after that, who knew? And you know what, he was not destined to be a superstar racer; he was destined for higher things.

We did get his RATN title back when we first started competing, but it was absolutely not the same as getting to dig for the voles in our hayfield. I have videos for his trick title that I never got evaluated, but again, he wasn't much about titles. His talent was leading the Black pack and the loss of his leadership is indescribable. Ticket cannot step into his pawprints and Franklin needs a few more neurons to connect, so Hero will have to manage herself.

Sirius was diagnosed with protein-losing enteropathy in November. We cut chicken out of his diet, and I made meatloaf to fatten him up. By January he was up to 38.8 pounds and feeling pretty good. I remember being told about the risk he'd develop a clot, but he got well, and honestly I forgot. So when he started acting off Wednesday night, I had so many differential diagnoses. None of them was pulmonary effusion. He struggled through the weekend so I took him directly to the e-vet. They admitted him, put him a hyperbaric cage and by the afternoon he was not struggling to breathe. I thought, okay, we'll get him stabilized then get him home and figure out where to go from there. But he got worse overnight. We added lasix this morning but by 1 PM he was back in respiratory distress. He was very much... alive... just really tired. And so it was time. We did get him into a sunbeam for his last moments, something he really loved. Paul and I are still very much in shock. Love you and miss you more than I can say, Big Dog, The Grim, Padfoot, Sirius Black.

Bluenote Sirius Black OTR, RATN

November 13, 2008 to March 15, 2022

No dog was loved more.