I'm terribly sad to share the news that we lost the Gunnar-man in the early hours of this morning. I'm sorry to burden you, but I do want thank you all for sharing in the joy he brought us for all these years.

Our visit to the vet yesterday revealed the sudden downturn he experienced Thursday was because he had masses on both his prostate and his spleen. This seemed pretty dire, and I expressed a determination to not cause him undue suffering, but the doctor was of the opinion we should try and treat his prostate for a couple of weeks, and if that could be brought in line, we could consider a biopsy of the growth on his spleen and a possible splenectomy. But his condition was far worse after we got home, as he showed increasing signs of discomfort, and he was even having trouble just walking. So we went to bed pretty convinced that, barring a miraculous turnaround, we would euthanize him today. But we awoke to find he died in his sleep, going out much the way he lived, on his own terms.

Our wonderful poodle was a blessing to us every day for 14-⅓ years. This works out to well over one-hundred by the old dog-years rule-of-thumb. That is not an exact science, but gives some perspective on his good run. And it was indeed an excellent one, as aside from his recent bout with giardia, and his last two days of suffering, he had a lifetime of almost perfect health. He was also one of the happiest creatures I've ever met, and he had an amazing collection of friends of both the two-legged and four-legged varieties. This was part of his brilliant second act, as he emerged from the shadow of Hudson the wonder dog after she passed and took over her role as mayor of the neighborhood.

It was a real privilege to be his owner, and his loss leaves a giant hole in our hearts that will be tough to fill.

Heartbroken Links:	Thanks Ant.
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Science:	Signs we're experiencing a 6th mass extinction. Thanks Cutter. A dog potentially exposed more than 100 people to black plague in Colorado. Thanks Neutronbeam.
Images:	Opportunity's Final Image Is a Haunting Panorama of the Martian Surface.
Media:	EXPERIMENT- LAVA vs DRY ICE. Thanks Hypothermia. Red Bull Storm Chase. Hope Walks On A Glass Floor.