Razz

1986 - 2002

It's hard to write about Razz. He was a fantastic terrier mix who was loyal to me through very good times and very bad.

I got Razz from a Good Samaritan in Oklahoma City in 1986. Some sub-human had dropped him and his two sisters off on the highway to Jones, Oklahoma to be killed by traffic. Fortunately for Razz and me, a nice lady rescued the three six-week-old pups and took them home for treatment for fleas and worms.

When Razz was eight weeks old, I adopted him for a measly six dollars. I won't say that he was the best puppy that ever lived because I think he was probably the worst. He developed bad separation anxiety, destroying in a short span of time a sofa, carpeting and a photo album. In the days before crates became an acceptable form of containment, I found myself having to devise creative ways of keeping Razz out of trouble.

It was good for both of us that he grew up! He became an extremely wonderful, loving dog. However, he did bite our bishop once!

Razz was the smartest dog I have ever owned. If doggie intelligence could be measured, he would be rated a genius. He was a problem-solver and loved to have a puzzle to mull over. His favorite thing was to go for walks. He had a drop-dead recall, so when we would walk well away from roads, he was able to go off leash. He would play fetch for hours and would have made an excellent agility dog with energy to spare. I think he was a mix of Jack Russell Terrier and Border Collie, and for those who know dogs, to say he acted like it will tell you how much energy this little guy had.

At the age of 11, Razz began having back problems. He went overnight from a spry puppy to an aging old man. He lived to the ripe age of 15 before I finally had to put him to sleep.

Razz was my protector and would not have given it another thought to give his life for me. He was my knight, and I miss him every day.