Thursday, August 22, 2013

Eric (2001 - 2013)

Our daughter's greyhound boyfriend, Eric, was put down this past weekend. They were always happy to see each other when he visited the animal hospital where she works. I was lucky to have photographed Eric for two consecutive years in Solvang during the greyhound gathering there.

I will remember him for a distinctive scar on his face:


He always struck me as being happy all the time:


I will remember him for his running in several of the Solvang Streaks -- running with a wild abandon as he sped from one end of the enclosed run to the other. He was so excited to go after the lure -- and had such a hard time with letting go of it once he had captured it.

This picture that I took of him running in the 2009 Solvang Streak makes me smile every time I see it:


He has the lure in his sights, and he will not be denied.

I am glad that he was Rachel's greyhound boyfriend -- I'm only sorry that their relationship did not last longer.

(Shot with the Nikon D300 using the 70-200mm VR zoom; shutter-priority mode, with shutter speed set at 1/2000 second at f/5.6 at ISO 800; cloudy weather white balance; normal JPG.)

8 comments:

  1. What a beautiful boy. Where ever you are I hope you get to do some lure coursing Eric. Run free handsome.

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    1. i think he would've been great at lure coursing; i don't know whether he ever got the chance. there may have been opportunities for him to do so, but i don't know of any near here.

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  2. What a handsome dog! I am so sorry to hear of his passing. He looks like he really knew how to grab life by the tail.

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    1. he was found to have OSA in the same spot that katie had -- only it had progressed too far to do anything about it. the terrible thing about it was his owner had no forewarning, and eric never limped.

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  3. Sure does look like a happy fella. Run free.

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    1. he was often one of the fastest dogs to run the streak. i would sometimes think while watching him that he was just on the edge of being out of control because of his manner of running.

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  4. Rest in peace, Eric. My deepest sympathy to all who loved this handsome, happy boy. These tribute always make me sad, but also glad to celebrate a life well-lived and well-loved.

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  5. So sad. Even though I have never met a lot of the hounds that have passed lately, it still hurts. Damn cancer. A friend of mine just lost her boy to cancer. Never limped once. Was playing in the yard and came up holding his leg and it was too far gone. So much loss this year.

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