Thursday, January 14, 2021

Remembering Agramonte

Ten and a  half years ago, Agramonte and I celebrated my birthday in Batavia, Illinois. In his third year of life, the purebred Tibetan Mastiff was such a good friend:

He was our canine Grandson (Nieto). Our human Neitas took part in the celebration (Why are there only 7 1/2 candles on my cake? I think they know why!):



They welcomed Agramonte into their home just before Christmas in 2007:


He knew he was loved:

Agramonte played in the snow. His winter fur was so dense that he could sleep in a snowdrift:

We first met him when we "migrated" back to our second home in April, 2008. Agramonte was 5 months old:

He grew up very rapidly. Here he is at 10 months of age:

When one year old old, he weighed 108 pounds and his mane was growing:

Neighbors sometimes thought our granddaughters had a lion on a leash. He loved the girls and was very protective of them, not in a fierce way but he would stand between them and any possible threat. One day I walked Agramonte with them to a small playground in a nearby park. The girls played on the swings and slides, so I decided to walk Agramonte a little way down the path. However, when we reached a turn where he could no longer see the children, he stopped dead, sat down and absolutely refused to go any further. I tried to make him stand and lead him on until I realized he did not want to lose sight of his treasured little friends:   

Here he is at 10 years of age in 2017, as he watched me barbecue a chicken in the back yard. If he wanted to, he could have overpowered me and inhaled that bird:

Moncada, another Tibetan Mastiff and Agramonte's little "brother," joined the family in 2018.  This is how the mastiffs spend most of their days:

A few days later, Cazador, a black Standard Poodle puppy, made them a doggie threesome:


Agramonte, the alpha, greeted the newest member of the pack:


Agramonte always loved the snow. His mane became huge during winter:



We last visited Illinois and saw Agramonte in early April, 2019. Sad to say, this was my last photo of him, with Cazador, back in September, 2018:

Our Illinois family flew down in April 2019 to join us for a short but memorable vacation on the Florida Keys.  "The sun comes up and the sun goes down. The hands on the clock keep going around..." And then there was the Coronavirus.

Tranquility Bay sunset:




April memories: Sedate Black-necked Stilts in formal garb, reflecting... 


...and a Northern Cardinal. There are old traditions-- “When a red cardinal visits your yard, it’s a visitor from heaven”. . . "The red cardinal bird symbolizes the phases of restoring when going through great difficulties with greater hope in God"... "Seeing a red cardinal after a death can be a message for you from the divine"... “When a cardinal appears, a loved one is near...,”

During our last visit to Illinois in May, 2019, it was clear that Agramonte's health was failing, He retained his sweet disposition despite a loss of energy.

The COVID restrictions have kept us apart since then. 

Despite treatment, his attempts to walk became increasingly painful and impaired. Finally he could not even stand up. For a large breed at 13+ years, his "dog age" calculator says that both he and I are about the same age. 

The veterinarian just made a home visit and helped Agramonte say goodbye.

A little spark of consciousness has been extinguished, and the universe is somehow diminished.

Goodbye, Agramonte, you big friendly, fluffy, furry phlegmatic doormat of a dog.

Sunset in Batavia, Illinois:

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Linking to:

Fences Around the World


Skywatch Friday

Weekend Reflections

Saturday's Critters

BirdD'Pot

Camera Critters

All Seasons

Wordless Wednesday (on Tuesday)

Natasha Musing

Our World Tuesday

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Please visit the links to all these posts to see some excellent photos on display
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31 comments:

  1. I knew what was coming and posts like this always bring me to tears..What a gorgeous dog and a huge loss..SO sorry..He lived a very long time for a dog that size..Makes me so sad..I don't get upset over people much...but animals do me in..Gorgeous sunset..

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  2. It has never seemed fair that our furry family have so few years to be with us. He was beautiful.

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  3. Hello
    the beautiful story ends sadly, having an animal with you for so long is a full member of the family, something only people who have had pets for a long time understand that
    Greetings Frank

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  4. Hello Kenneth, I am deeply sorry for your loss. Having recently lost my own dog, I know the pain you are feeling right now. Agramonte's photos from cute puppy to the magnificent dog he became, as well as your granddaughters are all lovely, and your post is a loving tribute to your equally loving mate, and companion Agramonte.
    Bless you and keep you safe.

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  5. That is a very heartwarming tribute and illustrates the extend to which true love exists between species - without a doubt. When I was a teenager I worked weekends on a farm and the farmer was given a Border Collie pup. I took care of it and we bonded. She was very protective, never in an aggressive way, but any time a visitor came to the farm the dog (Judy) would position herself between me and the unknown person. The farmer always said that if anyone tried to harm David Judy would have ripped his throat out! Judy got cancer and died at four years of age. But she will live forever in my memory.

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  6. Wonderful post, Kenneth, on many different levels. I love the part of the story where the dog wouldn't give up line of sight to the girls. What a wonderful creature!

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  7. That Agramonte was a very sweet dog and lived a full life. Our critters just don't live long enough.

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  8. Agramonte was a gorgeous boy. I was not familiar with Tibetan Mastiffs but they are very handsome. I also love your story about is life. Nice black legged stilts photo too. I love the reflection.

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  9. What a wonder of a dog.
    I was already prepared for the end of the story that it would be an obituary.
    I am always very touched when I read something.
    It must have been a soul of a dog, such a good character.
    I also have dogs and I can understand the pain.
    But it's been a blessed age for such a big dog!
    The memories remain.
    I had a little ShiTzu, she was 18 years old.
    Thank you for the link to my "Nature Thursday".
    ♥ greetings

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  10. Really sad story and well narrated. Beautiful sunset pics at the end

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  11. What a beautiful tribute to a life well-lived and well-loved!

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  12. Hugs to you! Life sure is hard; but the memories of the good times are worth it. Tears of sadness and joy fill my eyes right now. Thank you for sharing. Stay safe.

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  13. what a wonderful post and tribute.

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  14. Hello, Agramonte looks like a gentle giant. What a beautiful dog. I am always sad to hear of the loss of a family pet, pets are a family member. I wish they would live forever.. Great captures of the birds, the Stilt reflection is lovely. Beautiful sunset. Thank you for linking up and sharing your post. Take care, have a happy weekend! PS, thank you for the comment and visit.

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  15. Oh boy, what a beautiful dog. I've never seen a mane like that. Just reading this and seeing the photos brought tears to my eyes. I'm so sorry for your loss and your family's loss. So touching. xx

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  16. Oh how sad that made me feel. You are such a good storyteller that you made me fall in love with him and watch him grow until the end of his life. I know he will be missed. What a lovely family you have! Thank you very much for sharing this with all of us.

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  17. So sorry to hear of your loss. Best wishes to you and for brighter days ahead.

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  18. What a beautiful dog! Thirteen years aren't enough. Your reflections are outstanding!

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  19. Condolences on Agramonte’s passing and what a handsome and beloved canine, Kenneth. The start if this post hinted at its sad ending, but it was a loving remembrance to him. I was curious as to the meaning of his name as well.

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    1. About the meaning behind the name of Agramonte-- He is named after Ignacio Agramonte, a local hero of the Cuban War of Independence. Our son-in-law was born in Cuba, and he named several of his other dogs after famous Cubans-- Maceo, Maximo and Moncata. Their poodle is named Cazador, which is Spanish for hunter.

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  20. So sorry for your loss - I know that you will have some sad moments, but hopefully far more good memories.
    Thank you for sharing at https://image-in-ing.blogspot.com/2021/01/a-peek-at-our-indoor-herb-garden.html

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  22. Wonderful captures for Our World Tuesday. I enjoyed reading so much .

    Have a good week.

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  23. That is one of the reasons why we don't have pets, it is so heart wrenching to say goodbye to them. He does look like a lion in the next to last pic of him. Dear Ken, please, could you leave me a thumbnail for All Seasons - from your grands or your dog? That would be perfect! Thank you much, in advance:)

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  24. Many thanks for your lion, Ken, I wouldn't have want to miss that for the world on the link list of All Seasons. Have a great rest of the week, Jesh

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  25. So sorry about your family's loss. He looks like he was so much furry fun.

    The stilts with their reflections make such a wonderful image!

    Thank you for linking up at 'My Corner of the World' this week!

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  26. Such a beautiful dog! Your other images are also wonderful.

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  27. A wonderful tribute to a fabulous dog, always so sad they their lives are in general very short. I look back on my own memories and they always become tearful.
    That final shot of the sunset is stunning.
    Take care and keep safe, Diane

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  28. What a treasure to read. He will always be in the hearts of those who miss him so much.

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