In memory of Thor

by Jodelle Lund
(Rohnert Park, CA)

(Click a thumbnail to see full size image.)


This is a memorial for the love of my life, Thor, who passed away May 11, 2010. He was a week shy of his 7th birthday. Much of his life I worked from home, so we spent a lot of time together! He was just the best dog ever... I could go on for pages about him, but even as I start to write this, the tears fall.

I had a lot of challenges with Thor. He had some health problems, including a serious spinal surgery when he was five, and some sort of circulatory issue that no one was ever able to fully figure out and that ultimately is what caused his very sudden death.

He was not a dog's dog, he was a people dog! He was big, 100 pounds, and I think his size often just overwhelmed other dogs, but he grew up with a smaller pit bull named Kai, and the two of them were great buddies.

Even now, just two months after his death, Kai is still not 100% back to his normal self. Thor was such a beautiful dog that people would stop me and ask about him wherever we went. One time I was sitting in holiday traffic on a major freeway, and some people in the car next to me rolled down their window to ask me what kind of dog Thor was and to tell me how beautiful he was!

It happened so often, Thor loved the attention. He would sit up nice and tall, you could just see the pride on his bully face! Because of his size and his deep bark, he could be pretty intimidating looking to someone knocking on the door, but he was a giant love. All he wanted to do was lay on my lap. Someone forgot to tell him that he was too big to be a lap dog!

He was happiest whenever he was with me; he hated to be left behind, so he rarely was! I took him everywhere with me because even though he didn't play well with other dogs, he was always well behaved in public - so sweet to people that they would often express surprise that he was a "pit bull". A great ambassador!

Thor was my first ever dog, so I had never before experienced the unconditional love of a dog. I am so blessed to have had him in my life, even for just a short time. I miss him terribly every day, but I hold onto the thought that he had a great life because he was loved so deeply every day and still is.