Unfortunately, I have to report that our handsome dog Titan passed away on March 14, 2023. He gave us five wonderful years of love, loyalty and entertainment. He was very happy, active, and seemed healthy right up to the end. Turned out he had pancreatic cancer, which ruptured, and he suddenly died. There were no symptoms. We miss him terribly.
For his human parents, Titan was a big lovable teddy bear who loved affection and any attention. He was big, handsome and smart, with large wonderful fluffy paws, which he would willingly shake. He loved his people and his canine siblings. Titan and our other dog Floyd would play every day, including chasing each other around the woodshed.
Titan instinctively trusted his human parents, but trusted only his human parents. He feared everyone else and everyone else feared him. Titan was large with a ferocious bark. We could not socialize him with anyone, which made family gathering difficult. But we loved him and miss him terribly. Titan knew he was loved and in a safe forever home. Although he only trusted mom and dad, Titan did eventually learn to trust his vet and his kennel staff.
Titan took his watchdog job VERY seriously, protecting us from all manner of dangerous threats; squirrels, chipmunks, bunnies, crows, deer, mowers, leaf blowers, string trimmers, guests, and of course delivery drivers. For five years, Titan saw our neighbors every day, and for five years, Titan barked at our neighbors every day.
Titan did have a number of challenges including massive fur which required frequent attention, skin allergies which we finally had under control, ear infections, and knee surgery.
One of my favorite memories; whenever I would step out of the house into the backyard, Titan would be right there at my side, looking up at me earnestly as if to say “Dad, what do you need me to do? I’m ready, should I bark at something?”
With Titan, we took the good with the bad, and never regretted it for a moment. He gave us five wonderful years of love, loyalty and fun. And we think we gave Titan five good years in return.
Thanks and Regards,
George Schmidt
