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He isn't doing much to dispel the rumors of him being part cat. (Kaiser, 2025)

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New dog unlocked. (Kaiser, 2025)

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Spring rain. (Dexter, 2024)

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Thanks to my good friend @yayxstitch for this amazing gift. Started laugh-crying the moment I pulled it out of the box. I don't keep an eye on her stitching blog, so this was a complete surprise to me. It looks fantastic.

Dexter has finally reached his person and he loves it.

Thank you to everyone who helped memorialize a very good boy. Thanks for the help with cropping the photo and adjusting the pattern. You know who you are. You helped a friend who lost someone important to him.

Hug your pet if you can.

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Same energy. (Dexter, 2016)

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Cozy. (Dexter, 2018)

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RIP Dexter March 17th, 2013 - September 7th, 2024

Dexter was a rescued dog, adopted at two years old from a neglectful owner. I didn't know what I was getting myself into when he arrived at our house -- he was taller and more wild-looking than our previous German Shepherds -- but he ended up being gentle, obedient, and eager to please.

Despite being locked in a cage for a few months by the previous owner, and arriving in very poor condition, Dexter quickly got used to running freely and became impressively athletic. In his prime, he was keeping pace with deer and catching birds out of midair.

While he didn't usually get along with other dogs, he loved children and was an excellent babysitter. In fact, he was perfectly compliant with nearly anyone, including the vet. After a life-saving bloat surgery shortly after his arrival, Dexter seemed to realize that the vet was there to help him, and was always happy to go in for his checkup.

He was also uncannily good at keeping track of what he was and wasn't allowed to play with, never destroying anything without permission (aside from the contents of open trash cans and unattended tissue boxes). I had work the day after I got him, and he had the run of the house all day while I was gone. To my surprise, all of my stuff was fine when I returned that evening.

Most of all, he became absolutely devoted to me. If we were in the same room, he would ignore everyone else, keeping eyes on me at all times. Sometimes it felt like we could read each other's minds. My dad was convinced that we were communicating in some sort of code language that we weren't sharing with him. I've never been this close with any other dog, and will miss Dexter dearly.

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Dexter recently had a leg amputated in hopes of preventing the spread of cancer. This photo was taken after the staples were removed; he's doing well!

Interestingly, he now holds his tail where the leg used to be.

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Beach thoughts. (Luger, 2010)

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Using a cinder block as a pillow is such a pit bull thing to do. (Zoey, 2015)

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When playing fetch with Luger, he would not drop previous toys to make room for new ones. He would simply add to his collection. Here he is with five toys in his mouth. (Luger, 2014)

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The “small” cone was bigger than I thought it would be. Dexter didn’t mind. (Dexter, 2022)

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Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Please stop drinking for a moment, and wish Dexter a happy birthday. He turned 10 today!

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Just lying there, fists clenched

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My mom making me feel bad by sending me photos of the dog after I left today. (Dexter, 2022)

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Let’s get started (Rion, 2013)

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Covered. (Dexter, 2018)