Sad News

[NoBones]

Received word today that our beloved CSC mascotte "Shadow" Bushwacker
passed last night after 14 years of faithful companionship to Denny and
the rest of our CSC family....

Denny, you are in our thoughts and prayers for your loss!

[DonV]

Damn Denny, my deepest condolences!!! It won't be the same without petting Shadow.

[CaptLloyd]

Denny,

I'm sorry to hear the news about Shadow. Our deepest condolences.

Our pets become such a large part of our lives and families, eventhough they spend a relatively short time with us. But each one will always have a special place in our memories, and in our hearts.

Lloyd

[uncleboo]

So sad to hear this, Denny. Godspeed, Shadow!

[bigeasy1]

Denny,so sorry to hear the bad news.just went through the same thing myself,I know how painful it can be. It's not an easy thing to get through,Time and good memories are the best healer.

[Vezo, Part II]

So sorry Denny. Been through it twice and it just plain sucks. Memories and photos.

Still can't read The Rainbow Bridge without tearing up.

Personally, I have not been able to make it six months without finding a new best friend. Prayers sent.

Michael.

[Islandtrader]

Sorry Denny...she had a good run.

[Bushwacker]

Thanks guys! I had intended to post something sooner, but Ken thanks for beating me to it! Capt. Chuck called me Wed. morning on his way up to the Derby wanting to know what was the best Bourbon to buy, so he was the first to know. Shadow was a remarkable dog indeed and made it to several CSC gatherings, including Key Largo, Peanut Island, and the special "Gilley Gathering" at Area 442! She loved going out in the boat, so I put together a brief slideshow with pictures from some of our boat trips. Each picture has a caption but you might have to move cursor over the picture for it to bring it up. Sometimes the captions are blocked by damn pop-up ads, so you might have to just scroll thru the pictures manually if that happens. (If anyone knows of a better photo-hosting site than Photobucket, please let me know - I'm fed up with the user-hostile changes they've made to it!)

As a Greyhound/Lab mix, Shadow was a strong swimmer and had web feet (Greyhounds have web feet just like Labs . . . they were bred by the Egyptians for running in the sand and chasing rabbits, etc.). However with her very lean and muscular greyhound build and short hair she didn't float too well, so I made her wear a life jacket most of the time on the boat. Otherwise her nose, eyes and tail were about all you'd see above water, and she had jumped out of the boat a couple times to get to sand bars, etc.!

Although Shadow was nearly 14 1/2 years old, (an unusually long life for a big 70 lb dog) our vet thought she was in great health for her age with no hip or joint problems, but our nightly walks had become shorter and slower in the last year or so, with frequent stops to check "pee-mail"! Just a couple of nights earlier, we had met our neighbor who she loved and always greeted with much whining and "talking", and we walked for over a mile with his two highly trained black Lab hunting dogs with no problems. However she had been sleeping in longer each morning and taking longer naps, kinda like some old geezers I know! We've had a couple of dogs which got sick that we had to put to sleep. My dad was a vet; that had to have been one of his toughest jobs and it would have been VERY hard to do with her. However she was considerate enough to spare us from a traumatic euthanasia decision by living a full and active life right to the end, passing away peacefully in her sleep . . . we humans should be so lucky! She was by far the most loyal and affectionate dog we've ever had; we named her Shadow because from the day we brought her home, she'd follow me around wherever I went, like my little black shadow! If I went out to run an errand and didn't take her along (which I didn't in hot weather), she'd lie down on the rug by the front door and stay there till I got home! Once I got home, she'd get up, go out the dog door into the back yard, and lie in the sun - guess the warmth probably felt good to old joints that were probably getting a bit creaky!

I believe a man hasn't lived a truly fulfilling life if he has not been fortunate enough to enjoy the unconditional love and loyalty of a good dog! Shadow was a gentle soul that never met a person she didn't want to greet, coax into a head rub, (or share any food they had!), and she never met a dog or cat she didn’t want to befriend or play with. Denny

[BigLew]

Denny,

It is a dark day for all of us and we all truly share something very special on this site. Shadow has and is in our prayers and you and the family are as well.

God speed Shadow and start checking out the waters of heaven. There are many trips left to be shared.

[Capt Chuck]

Sorry Denny. Its tough to loose your buddy as I also know.
Shadow will always fill that empty seat on the SeaCraft and your heart.
Take care
Capt Chuck