Hercule - ~2001 to 2014

If we're not connected via Facebook, then you haven't heard that we put our old dog Hercule to sleep a couple weeks ago - February 18, 2014. I couldn't write about him until now, but I wanted to make sure I shared his story on our family blog.

Hercule, or Herc, was a rescue dog, but many said he looked like a mix of Bull Mastiff, Rhodesian Ridgeback, and possibly a Boxer. I like to think he was mostly a Bull Mastiff, because his temperament and physical activity would indicate such. He has been part of my family since around 2001, which means he has been around for about half my life. I just wanted to share his story and who he was with you guys because he was very much part of our family.

Fall 2011

Christmas 2012

Herc originally was my brother and his ex's dog. Around 2001, they separated and my parents and I moved in with my brother to help him keep his home. Although he was my brother's dog, there was no one taking responsibility of having him - taking him to the vet, taking him on walks, giving him routine showers, nail cutting, etc. Herc was the same dog through and through from his infancy to old age - very tender, gentle, independent, and extremely loyal. He used to play with my niece and nephew when they were barely 5-years-old way into the wee hours of the morning. Sometimes it would be 2am, and I would wake up to hear Iolis and Teya chitchatting about nonsense while Herc would be their rag doll to play with; the way they played with him, it amazes me how much patience he had with them and how he played so delicately with the kids. With things like that, it's like he won me over; I couldn't ignore his lack of care, even if he slept indoors and ate like a human king. It just wasn't enough. I took it upon myself to take care of him as if he were my dog.

Christmas ~2001-2003

Herc and Teya - Winter 2003

When I went to college in Reno for undergrad, my mom (family lives in Las Vegas) increased the amount of table food Herc consumed to the point where he exclusively ate human food. We are talking full size ham steaks, rib eye steaks, leftover soup with rice that my parents made, etc. Already a big dog, he went from somewhere around 95# up to a whopping 125#. When I started graduate school, I coerced Lara into letting Herc live with us. Although he ate well, I knew he never got routine health and hygiene care, and he never was taken on walks or got to explore life outside the confines of a house. When he moved in with us, it was pretty fun times. I forgot so much about Herc's personality while I was in school - how much he loved small dog toys, how awfully lazy he was, his love of scratching his back on the carpet, his barking conversations he'd have with me if I egged him on, his love for rolling around in grass, his strong desire to chase rabbits...the list is endless.

Herc's first workout goes over...well - mid 2009

Herc playing on his back - late 2009

Herc telling me something - late 2009

We like to think Herc was happy in all these new experiences, but to be honest, he was such an easy going dog... I'm sure he was just happy in Las Vegas as he was in Reno. If anything, he traded his gourmet meals in for outdoor fun and a home where he was fully integrated into the daily life of our family. He spent some time acclimating to the snow, and a lot of warm days basking out in the sun. When he was more robust, we'd go on hikes and he'd chase rabbits for miles on the weekend and spend the rest of his days napping it out in the living room.

Herc's first snow - 2009

Basking in the sun - Summer 2012

Lazy weekends with Jake - ~2010

Obliging to eat the Watergate salad leftovers after the holidays - such a good boy! ~2009/2010

Doing what Herc does best - 2012

I said it earlier, but I truly mean it. I've never met a dog more gentle, unobtrusive, and patient as Herc... ever. With humans and with other animals, he was the same. He wasn't well socialized with other animals when he was a pup, but his kind and submissive nature would always win out after he was introduced to another pet.  In 2011, we rescued our dog Kona as a 3-4 month old puppy from the animal shelter in Lyon County. From the day she got home,  Herc became Kona's "person", and Herc took her under his wing. She had energy through the roof and bit at Herc's jowls and feet; she would sit on his face; and she'd try as an adult do to sit alongside and nuzzle into Herc as if she was still a puppy. He never fought back, and he was always so patient with her. In many ways, Herc tamed the naturally anxious and needy side of Kona, while she slowed Herc's mental decline. See, after Jake (Lara's lab) passed in 2010, we started to notice Herc staring aimlessly at walls and doing abnormal things that indicated his mind was slipping. When Kona came into the picture, it was as if his mental state improved, or at the very least, slowed to where it seemed like it stopped degrading.

Within the first week of bringing Kona home - 2011

Herc and Kona - 2013

When we made the move from Reno, NV to Altoona, PA, the move was very rough on Hercule, who was about 14 years old. Rapidly, his mind started to unravel where aimless staring shifted into panicked looks of not recognizing who me or Lara was; then, he eventually started barking through the entire evening until going hoarse, and nothing was capable of consoling him. Our sweet old boy was no longer living a happy life. It took a lot of back and forth decision making on my part, talking to my sister and Lara about it incessantly, but eventually, it was time to let Herc go.

Christmas 2012

The day Herc passed, it was the first sunny day Altoona had seen in weeks. I'm not religious, but the way the weather warmed and the sun came out, it made me feel like Herc was finally at peace. 

He was an extraordinary dog. Beyond reliving the joyful memories through pictures, videos, and talking about it with Lara and Jenny, the other thing I think about since that day is this: As amazing as he was, I hope we were able to give him the life he deserved. Our sweet old boy deserved the very best life had to offer.

We miss you everyday, Herc! 

Woof! Woof woof woof...x3

This is funny if you knew the cadence of Herc's bark <3 br="" nbsp="">