Sarge, The Howling Dachshund
Breakwater
Rockland Breakwater, Maine
May 10, 2015
He walked the rough granite blocks, dodging the so many deep and treacherous gaps to the lighthouse.
This was his ritual. A full mile out. Another mile back.
The breakwater became his lookout. His command.
Faced into the wind, steadfast, his gaze fixed on the open world before him. He chased every gull. He barked to send sunning harbor seals diving for deep water.
Small in stature.
Certain in presence.
Some lives change us forever.
It’s a rare - a fortunate thing - to share life with a dog so expressive, so observant, and so fully present.
Sarge was a gift for - and named by my youngest son, Ryan, before this dappled guy ever left the pet store in Renton, Washington. We first discovered his love of the howl when Ryan repeatedly struck the highest key on the living-room piano. From that moment on, Sarge made himself known - audibly and unmistakably.
His life unfolded across miles and years: from Alki Beach in Seattle to Montauk Point on Long Island; from countless walks around Seward Park and along the Madrona shoreline of Lake Washington, to a cross-country move back to New Jersey with our 1974 Land Rover in tow; onward to North Carolina, Eastern Long Island, and finally Rockport, Maine.
Adventure, affection, curiosity, and connection defined his days. He touched lives easily. He made friends everywhere.
Pensive Moments
Seward Park, Seattle, Washington
March 14, 2009
Sarge was full of them.
During our daily walks around Seward Park, we came upon this hollowed log—now gone. We didn’t fully comprehend the significance of this fleeting, temporary time. I went back to this spot time and again – and photographed him several more times here. But on a recent visit I discovered the log had collapsed upon itself, slowly disappearing along the shore and beneath the waters of Andrews Bay.
We were simply grateful to have shared—and noticed—this moment in time
Perched and Pensive
Beech Hill Preserve, Rockport, Maine
August 14, 2014
A favorite walk and scamper. Up the sometimes-steep winding trail to the enduring stone cottage built in 1904 overlooking Penobscot Bay. Through blueberry fields and grasses he would revel in a scent and disappear into brush much taller than he was. A bolt of lightning sometimes instead bunny hopping over the short thicket.
I taught him how to climb the surrounding stone wall where he would sit and watch out over the distant bay or surrounding mountains. I would look at him in trance and wonder what so captivates his gentle soul?
Watching His World
Beech Hill Preserve, Rockport, Maine
July 19, 2019
The world lost Sarge on March 2, 2020
May Peace Always Be Yours, Good Buddy
Forever Loved – Forever Missed
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