Lester's Flat won't be the same without the Lester

We got Lester as an 8-week-old pup from a shelter near Atlantic City, NJ, just a few months after we were married. The Husband named him Lester, for Lester Flatt, the bluegrass musician who played the Beverly Hillbillies theme song along with Earl Scruggs. The name certainly suited his unique personality. I named our place up here Lester's Flat, because I think Lester loved it up here almost more than we do, if that's possible.

Lester Pester was a stubborn child from the get-go, and up until the bitter end. If it were not for the fact that they did not think he would get any better, only worse, I don't think we could have let him go yesterday. Even after being sedated for most of the day, and having a total of 11 or 12 seizures, he still did not want to give up. He perked up when The Husband came in to see him at the vet's last night, making it just that much harder to do what we did.

I always joked that he would die standing up—if his back end would have cooperated, I think he would have been standing up yesterday. He certainly tried.

Sophie is mourning with the rest of us, and even the cats are aware that he is gone. He will be missed by all of us, animal and human.

Thanks to everyone who has left comments about my big boy. After all my crying yesterday, I was doing much better today until I read all the kind things you have said...but it was a slightly happier cry today. He's in a better place.