My Golden Retrievers, Maestro and Ibert

Maestro--1988-2002

Ibert--2002-2011

Truly, the loss of an animal is existentially impossible. There are no other beings on earth that furnish us with so much love and pleasure while demanding so little in return. Their passing is made more poignant by the absence of their auras--their loving personalities along with all their comic and entertaining qualities. Those are the vintage Golden Retriever attributes--and the attributes that led me to embrace the breed initially. Yes, I miss Maestro and Ibert deeply, but at some level I know they are both up on the Rainbow Bridge happily entertaining all the other dogs.

      

OUR WONDERFUL PETS

WHEN OUR BELOVED PETS GO TO THE RAINBOW BRIDGE


The deaths of of Yancey, Alaskan Malamute, Maestro, Golden Retriever and Ibert, Golden Retriever--my beloved pets during the past thirty years--have always spurred me to make changes in my life. 


I believe that the only existential problem with pets is when they leave us. One thing I have realized is that with pure-bred animals come certain penchants for various ailments. The advent of these problems seem so far away when we acquire animals, but they do eventually come to the fore. There is certainly no "good" time for an animal to pass. Whenever one does, it seems to exacerbate the poignancy of whatever else is going on in our lives. Bless all animals--they love us. 

I'm Erich Graf. Welcome to my blog!!

Erich's Call for Information

Dear everyone I know,

I have commenced writing my memoirs. Does anyone have a vignette about me that they'd like to send for consideration? I will consider all--both good and bad. I will look forward to hearing from you either on this blog or by e-mail to erich@erichgraf.com