Dear B & B Friends,
With deep sadness and a heavy heart, I wish to inform you that Mendel, my beloved long-haired dachshund of 17 years, has passed away earlier today.
Mendel has served as the inspiration for my B & B user name and avatar. He would have been quite proud of the way I have conducted myself here on B &B by being an unconditional friend to all.
Since the end of May, Mendel began experiencing seizures. Ultimately, the seizures became quite frequent. Medication had stopped working. Last night was simply horrible! Mendel suffered cluster seizures (10 seizures, one after another.) Off to the emergency vets until 2:00 am. Our goal was to stabilize Mendel so that we could take him to our local vet first thing Monday morning, where we would put him to sleep.
Unfortunately, plans dont always work out the way we want them to. Mendel continued to have cluster seizures today, couldnt stand, and did not have control of his bodily functions. Back to the emergency vets we went to have Mendel put down.
Words cannot describe the emotional liability my wife and I are experiencing. As a Jew, to mourn ones passing, we must also honor ones life. To that end, if I may, allow me to tell you a bit more about my beloved Mendel.
Mendel came into my life in 1995. His predecessor, another long-haired dachshund, named Billy, had passed away in 1995 at the age of 19. At the time, I wrote a tribute to honor Billy on the Prodigy online forum, The Dachshund Circus.
To my surprise, I had received nearly 200 responses and had made a connection with the local Dachshund Club of America President. She in turn, put us in touch with her friends, award winning dachshund breeders in Waymart, PA. It was there we adopted Mendel and years later, his two nieces Maddie and Katie.
I never thought I could have another special guy like Billy, but Mendel proved me wrong.
As a puppy, Mendel was simply adorable and clever. He had the cutest little skull cap. He was well- loved by our late cat, Ashley. Mendels favorite toy at the time was his latex football. All I had to say was, Barry Sanders (retired hall-of-fame running back for the Detroit Lions), and he would grab his football and run like crazy, juking just like Barry Sanders.
Mendel as a puppy:
When our cat, Ashley passed away, we adopted a Siamese cat and named her Mulan. Mendel was delighted. On one occasion, Mulan the kitten, swiped a meatball from our dinner plate and shared it with Mendel. It was hilarious!
A few years later, we adopted Mendels niece, Maddie. Maddie was sinister as a puppy. She often wanted to test Mendels leadership, but he would always show her who the boss was. As a matter of fact, Mendel was very protective of Maddie. One time, my neighbors evil Jack Russell Terrier tried to get aggressive toward Maddie the puppy. Mendel, a docile guy, went crazy and was willing to beat the crap out of that Jack Russell.
Five years ago, we adopted another of Mendels nieces, Katie. She wasnt a puppy, but rather, retired after giving birth to three litters. Katie worshiped the ground Mendel walked on. She slept by him, followed him, and stayed by his side during his seizures. She loved being motherly.
My wife and I never had any children; we treat our pets as our children. As I reflect upon my life with Mendel over the past 17 years, I have accomplished so much. I earned two degrees, bought my first house, and began teaching at the college level and so much more. Words cannot describe the positive impact Mendel has had on me regarding friendship, unconditional love, and authentic leadership.
Here on B & B, you have seen some of my Mendel paraphernalia. You have met Mendels friends, the Robot, and his newest friend, Wendell the Wombat.
In the Jewish religion, it is often customary to plant a tree in memory of ones passing. If you will, please plant a tree in your backyard or another favorite place to honor my guy. If you too own a dachshund or another pet, please give him/her an extra hug tonight and keep us in your prayers.
Thanks for reading,
Joe Zagerman (a.k.a. B & Bs Mendel)
Rest In Peace, "The Real" Mendel
1995 - 2012
With deep sadness and a heavy heart, I wish to inform you that Mendel, my beloved long-haired dachshund of 17 years, has passed away earlier today.
Mendel has served as the inspiration for my B & B user name and avatar. He would have been quite proud of the way I have conducted myself here on B &B by being an unconditional friend to all.
Since the end of May, Mendel began experiencing seizures. Ultimately, the seizures became quite frequent. Medication had stopped working. Last night was simply horrible! Mendel suffered cluster seizures (10 seizures, one after another.) Off to the emergency vets until 2:00 am. Our goal was to stabilize Mendel so that we could take him to our local vet first thing Monday morning, where we would put him to sleep.
Unfortunately, plans dont always work out the way we want them to. Mendel continued to have cluster seizures today, couldnt stand, and did not have control of his bodily functions. Back to the emergency vets we went to have Mendel put down.
Words cannot describe the emotional liability my wife and I are experiencing. As a Jew, to mourn ones passing, we must also honor ones life. To that end, if I may, allow me to tell you a bit more about my beloved Mendel.
Mendel came into my life in 1995. His predecessor, another long-haired dachshund, named Billy, had passed away in 1995 at the age of 19. At the time, I wrote a tribute to honor Billy on the Prodigy online forum, The Dachshund Circus.
To my surprise, I had received nearly 200 responses and had made a connection with the local Dachshund Club of America President. She in turn, put us in touch with her friends, award winning dachshund breeders in Waymart, PA. It was there we adopted Mendel and years later, his two nieces Maddie and Katie.
I never thought I could have another special guy like Billy, but Mendel proved me wrong.
As a puppy, Mendel was simply adorable and clever. He had the cutest little skull cap. He was well- loved by our late cat, Ashley. Mendels favorite toy at the time was his latex football. All I had to say was, Barry Sanders (retired hall-of-fame running back for the Detroit Lions), and he would grab his football and run like crazy, juking just like Barry Sanders.
Mendel as a puppy:
When our cat, Ashley passed away, we adopted a Siamese cat and named her Mulan. Mendel was delighted. On one occasion, Mulan the kitten, swiped a meatball from our dinner plate and shared it with Mendel. It was hilarious!
A few years later, we adopted Mendels niece, Maddie. Maddie was sinister as a puppy. She often wanted to test Mendels leadership, but he would always show her who the boss was. As a matter of fact, Mendel was very protective of Maddie. One time, my neighbors evil Jack Russell Terrier tried to get aggressive toward Maddie the puppy. Mendel, a docile guy, went crazy and was willing to beat the crap out of that Jack Russell.
Five years ago, we adopted another of Mendels nieces, Katie. She wasnt a puppy, but rather, retired after giving birth to three litters. Katie worshiped the ground Mendel walked on. She slept by him, followed him, and stayed by his side during his seizures. She loved being motherly.
My wife and I never had any children; we treat our pets as our children. As I reflect upon my life with Mendel over the past 17 years, I have accomplished so much. I earned two degrees, bought my first house, and began teaching at the college level and so much more. Words cannot describe the positive impact Mendel has had on me regarding friendship, unconditional love, and authentic leadership.
Here on B & B, you have seen some of my Mendel paraphernalia. You have met Mendels friends, the Robot, and his newest friend, Wendell the Wombat.
In the Jewish religion, it is often customary to plant a tree in memory of ones passing. If you will, please plant a tree in your backyard or another favorite place to honor my guy. If you too own a dachshund or another pet, please give him/her an extra hug tonight and keep us in your prayers.
Thanks for reading,
Joe Zagerman (a.k.a. B & Bs Mendel)
Rest In Peace, "The Real" Mendel
1995 - 2012
