For whatever reason, maybe it is because there is so much awful going on, maybe because I am distracted, maybe because deep down I am very sad about this and do not want to deal with it, or some combination of those things and more, but I have avoided making this public, but my brother’s dear sweet dog Boghan died last month.
Boghan was born on 21 April 2010, and Seth got him from the breeder on 25 June 2010. It was love at first sight for everyone who met Boghan. I can honestly say that he was the sweetest dog I have ever known this side of Lily. Just the most amazing temperament, gentle, loving, excited when it was appropriate, playful, and Seth;s loyal hiking companion for over a decade. Everyone loved him, even Rosie, and normally when I write these goodbye posts I have tons of things to say, but with Boghan I don’t need to. These pictures say it all.
Goodbye, sweetest boy, you will be missed.
lowtechcyclist
2010-2025, I think you meant.
ETA: I love the pix of Boghan and the cats.
Baud
I’m sorry. He was photogenic.
Joy in FL
What a perfect being. Thanks for the photos of him.
My sympathy to you and your brother and all those Boghan loved.
H.E.Wolf
Sympathies to all who loved him.
Mr. Bemused Senior
If you needed any proof, the cat approval is crystal clear. My condolences.
Jay
I am sorry for Boghan’s friends and family loss.
sab
Is that black cat Maxwell?
scav
That is one proper dog.
Mathguy
Condolences. It hurts so much when a pet dies, but the time they spend with us is treasured.
ThresherK
Condolences from our home to yours.
Add me to all the others who enjoy his friendliness with felines.
trollhattan
Oh my gosh. SO sorry to hear this.
I remember the puppy pics and wanting to scoop up and hug the little fella right there and then. What a handsome gentleman he proved to be.
R.I.P. Boghan Cole, you are a Good Boy.
SiubhanDuinne
Oh, gosh, I remember when Boghan first became part of the Cole family. Hard to believe it’s been 15 years! Condolences to Seth, and to you and everyone else who loved that fine dog.
The photos are wonderful.
seefleur
What a lovely dog – and so sorry for his loss to you and your family. Dogs are so amazing – and as long as they are part of our lives, it seems to be a sign that we (humans) aren’t as awful as we appear to be…RIP Boghan![]()
JPL
RIP Good boy. It’s always so sad when an animal dies, because it’s like losing a best friend.
geg6
Aww, a big ol’ cat magnet. RIP Boghan. You were a very, very good boy.
eclare
My condolences to you, Seth, and everyone who knew him. As mentioned above, Boghan had kitty approval, which is the highest form of approval.
MagdaInBlack
Wow thats a lot of cats. What a fine handsome guy Bogdan was.
I’m sorry for your families loss, John.
TaMara
Oh, I am so sorry. I remember when Seth got him and those first photos. I was totally smitten.
Those pawprints, they leave their marks on our hearts. I’m sorry, Seth.❤️
Kristine
What a great face. A wise old man’s face.
They’re never here for long enough.
I am so sorry.
Suzanne
He was a beauty. Best wishes to you all.
Old Dan and Little Ann
Those pictures are precious. What a beautiful dog. May the memories of him soon overtake the sadness.
p.a.
RIP Boghan, and condolences to his family.
A woman from anywhere (formerly Mohagan)
@Mr. Bemused Senior: exactly my thought! The cat evidence says he really was as sweet as John says he was. Condolences to all who knew and loved him.
Salty Sam
Now that’s a dawg…
Boghan, fare thee well!
ETA- Hardest part of living this side of the vale is that our four legged friends are destined to go on over to the other side before us. I still work to find meaning in that.
Maxim
I’m so sorry. What a sweetheart.
CaseyL
Oh, that sweet face! That touseled hair! And, yes, looks like the kitties loved him.
Condolences to everyone who loved him.
Goodbye, Boghan: you are eternally the Goodest Boy.
satby
Seth and your family gave him almost 15 years of heaven as a much beloved member of the family. That’s their greatest joy. Condolences to Seth, and all who loved Boghan.
zhena gogolia
@sab: I was wondering that too.
So sorry about Boghan.
dww44
What a lovely sweetheart of a dog. Love the pics with the kitties. Condolences to all.
persistentillusion
I remember the puppy pics. Condolences to all. He was loved, which is much of what we all can hope for.
Lily
no words seem good enough for such a huge loss
Madeleine
How beautiful and sweet he looks. I’m so sorry that Seth, you, and all the family have lost dear Boghan
Currants
Aww John. I remember when he joined the family—a total sweetie even then. I can’t believe it’s been that long, and golldangit why can’t we outlive them. 😭
Soapdish
They are bright lights that shine in our lives for far too short a time.
Enjoy Canada, Boghan. Elbows up.
SW
Their lifespan is just too god damn short. They barely get us trained and they are called away.
Sherparick
@geg6: My sentiments exactly, the best boy, as the cats apparently recognized. So sorry for your brother’s loss, & your family’s loss. His memory will always be a blessing.
leeleeFL
I am so sad to hear that Boghan has crossed the Rainbow Bridge. There is much awful happening, but thank you for sharing your news. Shared sadness makes it easier to bear.
Hugs from Florida, John Cole.
Elizabelle
My condolences. Wonderful dog. No doggo lives long enough.
mvr
My condolences.
Torrey
I am so very sorry. It is so hard to lose a beloved pet, even if it’s not your own pet. Still, a beloved family member.
Thank you for giving us a moment to celebrate Boghan’s life and his work with cats. A reminder that there are, and have been, and will be dogs in the world like him, is one bright spot. A brave world, that has such creatures in it!
They Call Me Noni
If all those kitties loved him you know he was a good boy.
Condolences to you. Losing such a big part of the family is tough.
middlelee
I’m so sorry. The cats are the tipoff. He was such a good dog.
kindness
He looks like a good boy. The Rainbow Bridge got another one.
Noskilz
Sorry to learn he has lost a dear pet.
stinger
Aw, nuts. So sorry to hear this.
Gretchen
Sorry about Boghan’s loss. He looks like he was a great dog. I’ve had a couple of those and it’s so hard to say goodbye.
rikyrah
So sorry for the loss😥😥😥
Beautiful dog😪😪
Dr Daniel Price (Saint Vincent)
Our sixteen-year old cat Kabo required euthanasia Sunday last. He had been fading slowly, and then took a precipitous turn for the worse. We always wish our companion animals to tell us when it is their time to die, and he did. While we would have preferred to have him pass at home, we could at least hold him in his final moments so that those moments would not involve strangers and fear.
Our birth-child, now twenty-two, once had a spell of weeping when he suffered a minor injury. At one point he stopped his sobbing and was asked “are you ready to…[we forget what] or do you need to cry some more?” He thought about the matter for a moment, then said “cry some more.”
—
You were a good kitty. You came home with us only because the two young women who got to meet you before we did heard you calling plaintively for your sister and decided to pass. We had hoped to adopt the pair of you and did.
When occupational therapy made infant Ash cry, which was often, you would charge into the room and bite–not gently–every adult in reach. Nobody was allowed to hurt your baby.
Our move to a new house in 2013 required you to have an extended stay in a kennel, away from us. Upon arriving in the new abode, you ran to the basement and hid in the pile of remnant carpeting, making piteous sounds until one of us came down to find you. You realized then that you were not being abandoned and decided that the new place was terrific. Two subsequent moves kept you with your people and were not cause for much anguish.
You were a good daddy to the kitten we brought in in 2019. You were a favorite of visitors, a most social beast. You were always with me when I was working in the home office. We will miss you, every day.
You were a good kitty, Kabo. Go and find Nizel.
—
For my part? Cry some more.
Scamp Dog
What a good boy he was! And good work getting him almost 15 years, a good long time for a big dog.
eclare
@Dr Daniel Price (Saint Vincent):
So sorry about Kabo.
columbusqueen
They never live long enough. Godspeed, sweetest boy.
Juju
I’m sorry to hear about Boghan. It’s clear from the pictures he was a best boy. Its always so hard to say goodbye.
cain
My condolences 😔 💐
Debbie(aussie)
I am so sorry, Seth, John and the Cole clan & friends. I too remember when Seth found him. Weren’t the kittens found and Seth decided to keep them? I do remember that a story was involved. Like a lot of the pet acquisitions in your family. Love & condolences to all. A truly beautiful boy!
Betty Cracker
Aw, what a beautiful boy. May his memory be a blessing.
Tinare
He was obviously well and truly lived. 15 years is a great life for a dog, 15 years of love and joy truly a miracle for a dog. Seth gave him a miraculous life.
Ella in New Mexico
When cats and kittens make you their Dad, you know you have an angel’s soul.
Bless your sweet heart Boghan boy. Hugs to the Cole family.
Chat Noir
I’m so sorry. I remember when you posted about Seth getting him. Hard to believe it’s been 15 years! Those paw prints on our hearts never go away.
Dr Daniel Price (Saint Vincent)
@eclaire: I thank you for your kind words. I had no wish to make the discussion about our Kabo, but I also had opportunity to eulogize a great cat.
An ordinary bowl remains on the floor of my home office; it contains the water that we offered to him at the end. Each time I go past it I have two options: pick it up, or cry some more.
Cry some more.