NYCivic

"An Extremely Distinguished Dog"

By Henry J. Stern
September 2, 2004

Three days ago, I sent you the sad news of the illness and death of our beloved Golden Retriever, Boomer, a.k.a. Wonder Dog, 63, Mr. B and Sirius ('the dog star,' or 'Stern dog').

I felt I owed it to his memory to tell the people who knew him that he had gone. He brought a great deal of happiness to many people, both children and adults, and did not deserve to leave this world unnoticed.

To my surprise, the unsolicited replies that I received were overwhelming. More readers, by far, responded to the article than to anything I had written about government in two and one half years. About two hundred people e-mailed their condolences. Others telephoned, or stopped me in the street to talk about Boomer. When I meet people I know, their first words are to express sorrow at his passing.

Many readers wrote about their own dogs (or cats), and how sad they were when they lost their pets. The emotion that came through was remarkable. I learned for the first time how many people form close bonds with the animal companions with whom they share their homes.

I have posted a selection of these letters, in memory of the departed pets, and to show readers how much these relationships mean to people. To protect the writers' privacy, I have used only initials (although you may be able to identify a few). If your letter has been posted, and you 1) want your full name used, or 2) desire no form of identification, or 3) do not want your letter posted at all, please e-mail Moby@nycivic.org and, of course, we will comply with your wishes.

Two responses were unusual: one is a printed card, of a variety I had not known existed, "With Sympathy in the Loss of Your Pet." The message has no cloying rhyme, and is refreshingly straightforward. "A pet can fill a big place in your life and in your heart. That's why losing a pet can be so very difficult and why you deserve so much understanding and sympathy." Donald Loggins
sent it to me.

The other is a small book that I was unaware of, written by the playwright Eugene O'Neill (1888-1953) and illustrated by Adrienne Yorinks. "The Last Will and Testament of an Extremely Distinguished Dog," published by Henry Holt and Company in 1999. It is brief but poignant, and will bring both pain and comfort to bereaved humans. It came from Jeff, Sharon and Spacey (their dog) Sperber.

For your information, I have linked to obituaries which Boomer received in the Daily News, New York Post and Newsday, as well as a selection of the letters we received. In his memory, we would like to plant a tree in October (the best month) in a New York City park in which he played.

I also learned that, in this age of information technology, his life has by no means been unchronicled. You can Google "Henry Stern - Boomer" for a trove of articles. There is one about celebrity golden retrievers, alphabetized by owner, in which Boomer is listed just ahead of Martha (Copper Beech, her park name) Stewart's dog (unnamed in the text). There are probably more items, but I do not know where they are. If you come across any Boomeriana, please let us know, and we will add it to his archive.

To paraphrase reverend clergy, "We are not gone when we live on in the memories of those who knew us." I must add that our sorrow at his loss has been somewhat tempered by our newly-acquired knowledge of how much he meant to so many of our species, who have gone out of their way to remember him with pleasure and affection.