Brother Boges

Our brother Boges

We said goodbye to Boges three weeks ago. He was pushing 14 years and had developed kidney disease and bladder cancer.

I learned about a month after adopting him that he "wasn't great" with other dogs. He tore into a friends' dog and they became ARCH nemeses, and I learned that I couldn't trust him with many other dogs. So I had a decision to make: Do I want to keep this dog who is going to have to be separate from other dogs in a dog-crazy part of the world?

Yes.

We'd shared our first heart to heart and became forever partners.

That was not his final incident; he bit seven people in total.

One, a former co-worker, was later convicted of possessing child pornography and sent to federal prison which made Boges something of a hero. Others he bit were strangers, and others were very nice people so I can't say he had a nose for bad people, but maybe once he did. He never broke skin.

He once completely unzipped a muskrat on the East Gallatin River, while on a six-foot leash attached to my arm. With two vigorous head shakes, this poor skrat was completely and impressively disemboweled. My eyes got big, and we slowly stepped back and went home. He was an impressive predator at times.

In 13 years, he killed 13 snakes. He would sniff them out, sometimes literally from underground, shake them, swing them, and toss them until they were good and dead.

Infinitely loving and loved, we will miss you forever.

Day 1 together

Day 2

With mom in Yellowstone, the day he pooped in the car

His first camping trip, at Hyalite

Bonding.

In Duluth

In Duluth, 10 years later.

Pooped in the "Bison"

At Red Rock Creek

In the Pioneers

In the Wind River Canyon

On an eastern Montana pond

Always photobombing

In Wyoming

On the upper Upper Green

In the Wind River Range

On the Kootenai

Oop, oop! (He had a "particular fondness" for the ever-gracious Tim Linehan)

Up Beaver Creek

On the Braid

In upstate New York

Never got skunked, but got quilled. On the Beaverhead.

The rare new friend. A random dog we met on a walk.

Awww. 

Going trick or treating.

At work.

At Willow Creek.

On the Bitterroot

At Red Rock Lakes NWR

Up Bear Trap Canyon

At the Kitchen Sink

Family photo on the Bitterroot 

Family photo on the Bitterroot, II.

Steelheading in Idaho

Wading the Lower Madison

"Ghosting" at the East Fork Cabin 

Getting comfortable at Hebgen

Staying afloat.

Up the Dearborn

On Lake Superior

Investigating UFOs

On Fort Peck

Up the West Fork. 

Going for a ride

At Goblin Valley

Pooped after a float

On the Marias

With Shep. Even more so now.