May 03, 2012
Our friend Benny - April 28, 2012
Barbara wrote me today, May 3, 2012, to say Benny is no longer with us.
Here are Benny's photos and videos:
http://flickr.com/photos/rlg/tags/BennyBS/show
Benny, a good boy, says Goodbye, a tune by Benny Goodman:
Goodbye
Here are some words about Benny, by Barbara:
"Hi Richard:
I'm glad you sent out your email, because I don't get to Fresh Pond too often these days and I wanted to contact you. I'm so sad to say that our good friend Benny has passed on. About a month ago, he had internal bleeding in his left rear leg; turns out he had a cutaneous hemangiosarcoma around the knee, which is the least lousy version of a pretty lousy cancer. He seemed to be doing better, but last week we were walking a bit more (life as a house plant, which is what it had become, wasn't suiting either of us); this caused more swelling. On Saturday 4/28 he had a recurrence of the bleeding. Though he seemed okay when we were at the hospital, by the time I got him home he had begun to hemorrhage more seriously. He died around 10pm Saturday night.
He was my beloved boy, my best friend, and a real man-about-town. To get an idea of how well he was known in Somerville, one of the vet techs at Mass. Vet Referral in Woburn recognized him from her neighborhood, which was on one of our walking routes. I broke the news to Hub Comics yesterday; he always dragged me there to get a biscuit. And we frequently violated the town's public health laws by taking advantage of the Precinct's "don't ask/don't tell" pet policy. Many a burger was consumed at ground level when Benny and I went there. Porter Square Books and Brookline Booksmith were graced with his appearance one final time last week, as he treated customers to his regal, stretched-out presence in the middle of the busiest aisles.
He loved you too; he always happily ran up to see you, and not just because of the cookies you gave him. He knew a good friend when he met one, and you were a very good friend to him. I have to thank you as well for all the pictures you took of him and loaded onto Flickr. Other than what you shot, I have only a few photos of him.
I'm doing a bit better than I was this weekend and earlier this week, though I have plenty of ups and downs. As for Benny's final rest, he'll be cremated on 5/19/12 in Northborough, and I plan to go there to (possibly, if I get the nerve) witness the event and then bring his ashes home. I'm going to plant a tree in my yard and place his ashes around it. I hope to make it a celebration and invite Benny's friends. I'll keep you posted about that.
Sorry to break this news to you, Richard, but you were on my list of people to notify. I knew you'd want to know. He had a good life, a happy one, and tons and tons of love. We should all be so lucky.
Best,
Barbara"
Benny, in his life at Fresh Pond Reservation, is best represented by this Benny Goodman tune:
Flat Foot Floogie
He just had a saunter, a swagger, all his own.
Here are Benny's photos and videos:
http://flickr.com/photos/rlg/tags/BennyBS/show
Benny, a good boy, says Goodbye, a tune by Benny Goodman:
Goodbye
Here are some words about Benny, by Barbara:
"Hi Richard:
I'm glad you sent out your email, because I don't get to Fresh Pond too often these days and I wanted to contact you. I'm so sad to say that our good friend Benny has passed on. About a month ago, he had internal bleeding in his left rear leg; turns out he had a cutaneous hemangiosarcoma around the knee, which is the least lousy version of a pretty lousy cancer. He seemed to be doing better, but last week we were walking a bit more (life as a house plant, which is what it had become, wasn't suiting either of us); this caused more swelling. On Saturday 4/28 he had a recurrence of the bleeding. Though he seemed okay when we were at the hospital, by the time I got him home he had begun to hemorrhage more seriously. He died around 10pm Saturday night.
He was my beloved boy, my best friend, and a real man-about-town. To get an idea of how well he was known in Somerville, one of the vet techs at Mass. Vet Referral in Woburn recognized him from her neighborhood, which was on one of our walking routes. I broke the news to Hub Comics yesterday; he always dragged me there to get a biscuit. And we frequently violated the town's public health laws by taking advantage of the Precinct's "don't ask/don't tell" pet policy. Many a burger was consumed at ground level when Benny and I went there. Porter Square Books and Brookline Booksmith were graced with his appearance one final time last week, as he treated customers to his regal, stretched-out presence in the middle of the busiest aisles.
He loved you too; he always happily ran up to see you, and not just because of the cookies you gave him. He knew a good friend when he met one, and you were a very good friend to him. I have to thank you as well for all the pictures you took of him and loaded onto Flickr. Other than what you shot, I have only a few photos of him.
I'm doing a bit better than I was this weekend and earlier this week, though I have plenty of ups and downs. As for Benny's final rest, he'll be cremated on 5/19/12 in Northborough, and I plan to go there to (possibly, if I get the nerve) witness the event and then bring his ashes home. I'm going to plant a tree in my yard and place his ashes around it. I hope to make it a celebration and invite Benny's friends. I'll keep you posted about that.
Sorry to break this news to you, Richard, but you were on my list of people to notify. I knew you'd want to know. He had a good life, a happy one, and tons and tons of love. We should all be so lucky.
Best,
Barbara"
Benny, in his life at Fresh Pond Reservation, is best represented by this Benny Goodman tune:
Flat Foot Floogie
He just had a saunter, a swagger, all his own.
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