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Old Shell Crosses The River

Shell

May 30th, 1994 to June 2nd, 2011

 

A good Dog.

A great best friend.

Never worried.

Always ready to go.

Never ready to go home.

 

Rest in peace my best old friend.

 

 

shell picture_resized_cropped

My dear and best old friend, Shell, for whom this blog is named, crossed that last river on Thursday, June 2, 17 years and 3 days after she entered this world.

She was a daily part of my life for all but the first 10 weeks of that time period. That represents 35 percent of my life. Very few things in a person’s life are around, nearly daily, for that long.

It becomes easy to take such things for granted. I urge you to stop whatever you are doing today and call an old friend, give your wife or kid a big hug…or spend some time petting your old dog’s head. When you lose someone, along with the good memories, you’ll also remember a list of things you did not do for them that you should have done. Endeavor to make that list short.

Shell was not a perfect bird dog, thus was a perfect fit for her far less than perfect owner. I’ve never been a perfectionist. In my opinion, life is too short for it, but I suppose those who are perfectionists would argue that life is too short not to strive for perfection. Thus the ying and yang of life.

 

Marc Puckett

Photo by Meghan Marchetti, VDWR

Marc Puckett is a Small Game Project Leader with the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources (VDWR).

Marc has worked with VDWR for 25+ years. He currently serves as the small game project co-leader. He was involved in several quail studies, including for his master’s degree at NCSU. He served his country for four years in the US Army’s Airborne Infantry. Marc resides with his family on a farm in central Virginia.