Eulogy for a Camp Dog

I lost my longtime furry companion earlier this summer.

Daisy joined our family in late 2004.  She was found – appropriately – abandoned in the woods north of Austin on Christmas Eve 2004.  Our friends were decidedly cat people but reached out to us knowing we were looking for a dog.  She joined us on her first rendezvous in January of 2005, and the became a faithful campsite companion.

Being new dog owners, and her being a puppy, we had no idea how much cold she could take.  Otter Woman cut apart her wool leggings that I converted to a dog capote for her first Deep Winter event.

Later she would join us at other camps and events, and her beautiful spotted hide became the centerpiece of much discussion around its potential future use as an ornate shooting pouch or fur hat.

Daisy took on a more important role as the protector or each of our children as they were born. I like to think she considered each new baby her ward and looked on this as her duty, since we weren’t able to get her a herd of sheep or goats to boss around.  Although she never lost her grumpiness and always growled, she never bit them. Not too hard anyway….

In her later years, she became a semi-retired camp dog.  Often times we opted for her to stay home. Her new role as protector of the home fire was more important than protecting the campfire.

She joined me again for a brigade event and had her last hurrah in the wilderness.  Throughout the event, I was kept safe from wolves, marauding Indians and chupacabras, so she did her old job well.

Soon we’ll get another dog to replace her and likely the new hound will join me out by the campfire.  There’s something about dog and man that make a camp just right.

But Daisy will always be my first camp dog.