"THAT'S NOT A DOG,THAT'S A HUMAN BEING"

My foreman's dog died yesterday and he spent his morning burying her on his parents property, on a hill overlooking the pasture.The same spot his other dog is interred.
He said the hardest thing about it all was explaining death and dying to his 3 year old. I've worked with this guy for a long time and his dedication to family is one of the things I respect about him.
Being the gossipy hens that electricians are (don't tell anyone :)) the crew was buzzing about why he was late - he never is.And the talk turned to our own dog stories.
I was telling a buddy about Theo and how he communicates with us, he has:
A bark for water.
A bark for food.
A bark to go out.
If I get home before Ann,he waits for her to go out...apparently Ann is the only one who can operate the patio door.
When I get up in the morning, he stays in bed until Ann gets up and then barks the outside bark.
He comes out of the bedroom at the same time every day and positions himself by the door waiting for Ann to come home.
He will come to me and paw me on the arm,signaling a need for a chest rub.
He tells us when he's ready for bed,and looks at us expectantly to join him.
He trades trash items for treats.
His tummy clock changes when daylight savings kicks in without missing a beat.
The title of this post was my buddy's response to these facts about Theo.
Being that he is a large dog with moderate/severe hip dysplasia from the get go,it's a miracle he has made it to 13 years.We know his time is probably short,and I'm not sure I can dig another grave...but long may he run.
It was nice to share dog stories with some of the crew...some funny, some tragic,but it was clear that these guys love their dogs...just like we do.