Tribute to Moe

This past Tuesday November 30th my dog Moe passed on. 2010 has been an incredibly brutal year as we’ve lost 3 dogs in 6 months (see Tribute to Curly and Tribute to Zoe). While I’d like to think I was prepared for Moe’s passing, given his age of 14 and the events surrounding the loss of Curly and Zoe, this proved to be anything but the case. Losing Moe has in many ways been a tougher ordeal to work through and its hit me incredibly hard.

Moe at 2 months of age visiting me as I worked in my office.

It’s impossible to encapsulate what Moe was like in a few brief paragraphs. If you ever met Moe he most certainly would make a lasting impression. Cute, crazy, stubborn, incredibly agile, incredibly intelligent, fun, hysterical, trying, difficult, mischievous, quirky, insatiable, loving, loyal, ours… are but a few adjectives to describe Moe, but he will forever be indescribable as he was so many things to my family. Moe was an incredible companion. We were meant for each other. Had Moe found his way to any other owner I’m sure he would have ended up in a shelter. He was a 20 pound dog who thought he was 800 pounds and his attitude showed it. Fortunately I had the patience to put up with Moe and as challenging as he was he was even more loyal and loving.

Moe, who was a Jack Russell Terrier, meant a lot to me and was a constant presence in my life for 14 years. He often crossed the boundary of loyal to neurotic and as a result was always at my side. This past week has been an incredibly hard week as 14 years of being conditioned to see and hear Moe at every moment fell silent. It’s created an incredibly large hole in my daily routine and been a constant reminder of my loss.

Moe barking at me to play, a sound I heard daily. (Oct. 2010)
I could go on and on about Moe. I dreaded the day I’d have to say goodbye to him, but in preparation I pre-recorded 22 of my favorite stories about Moe. These are more for me than anyone else so that I never forget how crazy and fun he was, but I’m happy to share them if you have the time to listen. My favorite stories are in bold text. I would have edited these recordings, but Moe’s passing came sooner than expected and I just don’t have it in me to do it at this point so excuse the raw nature of their presentation. Also at the end of this post are a series of my favorite photos of Moe.

1. Introduction (1:44)
[audio:http://www.jmg-galleries.com/audio/moe/1_intro_20101007_172734.mp3]

2. Meeting Moe’s Parents (5:06)
[audio:http://www.jmg-galleries.com/audio/moe/2_meeting_moes_parents_20101007_173200.mp3]

3. Picking Out Moe (4:29)
[audio:http://www.jmg-galleries.com/audio/moe/3_picking_moe_20101007_174247.mp3]

4. Moe’s 1st Day – The Escape Artist (5:47)
[audio:http://www.jmg-galleries.com/audio/moe/4_moes_1st_day_20101011_081403.mp3]

5. Exercising with a Laser (2:38)
[audio:http://www.jmg-galleries.com/audio/moe/5_exercise_via_laser_pointer_20101011_082432.mp3]

6. Snip! Moe Gets Fixed and Malibu Goes Up in Flames (4:17)
[audio:http://www.jmg-galleries.com/audio/moe/6_moe_getting_fixed_20101011_082827.mp3]

7. Bonus Story: Getting Fixed – Keep Moe Mellow (2:39)
[audio:http://www.jmg-galleries.com/audio/moe/7_getting_fixed_bonus_mellow_20101011_083351.mp3]

8. Moe Finds the Ring (5:27)
[audio:http://www.jmg-galleries.com/audio/moe/8_finding_the_ring_20101011_083747.mp3]

9. Chasing the Chicken. Yes, the Chicken! (4:12)
[audio:http://www.jmg-galleries.com/audio/moe/9_the_chicken_20101011_084403.mp3]

10. Escape to Malibu (3:51)
[audio:http://www.jmg-galleries.com/audio/moe/10_escape_to_malibu_20101011 085006.mp3]

11. Moe and the Parrot (4:08)
[audio:http://www.jmg-galleries.com/audio/moe/11_the_parrot_20101012_083410.mp3]

12. Moe Rocks Out (2:39)
[audio:http://www.jmg-galleries.com/audio/moe/12_rock_out_of_moe_20101012_084252.mp3]

13. Billy’s Footprints (5:05)
[audio:http://www.jmg-galleries.com/audio/moe/13_billys_footprints_20101012_084614.mp3]

14. Moe’s Craziest Greeting (2:16)
[audio:http://www.jmg-galleries.com/audio/moe/14_crazy_greeting_20101012_085242.mp3]

15. Moe to the Rescue (3:05)
[audio:http://www.jmg-galleries.com/audio/moe/15_to_curlys_rescue_20101012_085547.mp3]

16. Dog Cam – Revealer of Truth (2:55)
[audio:http://www.jmg-galleries.com/audio/moe/16_dog_cam_the_truth_20101012_085924.mp3]

17. Enter the Raccoon! (5:54)
[audio:http://www.jmg-galleries.com/audio/moe/17_enter_the_racoon_20101012_171710.mp3]

18. The Infamous Snack Cabinet Story (8:58)
[audio:http://www.jmg-galleries.com/audio/moe/18_mission_impossible_snack_cabinet_20101012_173434.mp3]

19, Moe – Super Alpha “Humpinator” (1:47)
[audio:http://www.jmg-galleries.com/audio/moe/19_super_alpha_20101012_174923.mp3]

20. Who Did That!? The Ring Tells All (3:38)
[audio:http://www.jmg-galleries.com/audio/moe/20_who_did_that_the_ring_120410 11_32 PM.mp3]

21. Shaved Determination… Yes, Shaved (4:30)
[audio:http://www.jmg-galleries.com/audio/moe/21_shaved_determination_12_4_10 11_40 PM.mp3]

22. Curly, Moe and Zoe? and the Kavorka (4:50)
[audio:http://www.jmg-galleries.com/audio/moe/22_moes_best_bud_zoe_the_kavorka_20101012_175129.mp3]

23. The Wind Storm (2:35)
[audio:http://www.jmg-galleries.com/audio/moe/23_the_storm_20101013_090919.mp3]

24. Final Thoughts on Old Moe (4:06) – Recorded October 12, 2010
[audio:http://www.jmg-galleries.com/audio/moe/24_moe_superloyal_final_thoughts_20101013_091255.mp3]

The day I picked out Moe


Moe was addicted to warm laundry out of the dryer

Sometimes he couldn’t wait for it to get out of the dryer

The crazy greeting. He jumped on my back as I leaned over to put my laptop bag down.

Moe hated when I traveled and would sit in my luggage in protest as I packed.

Nothing stopped Moe, not even a cone.

Moe did not approve of tax time, but found the receipt boxes a cozy place to sleep.

Moe taking his place as I wrote at my desk

Moe taking his place as I wrote on my laptop

Moe at the park

My last photo of Moe taken just before Thanksgiving 2010

[tags]dog, jack russell terrier, mourning, pet, dog, canine, terrier[/tag]