What can you say about a dog like Coach?

I remember when we brought him home, we were playing with him in the house and it ended up getting a little bit rough. My mom hadn't met him yet so when she came home she was prepared for him to jump up on her as she walked in the door. Instead, he walked over, sat down, and put his head on her leg. She said,"I love this dog." That was a smart move and got him years of extra treats from her.

My dad trained him when he was a puppy and it wasn't long before he didn't need to be on a leash. If you had to bring one with you he'd carry it himself. On command, he would heel, sit,  or lay down. My dad taught him that "lay down" meant to come and lay down at his feet but "bang!" (imagine gun-shaped fingers pointing at the dog) meant to drop where he was. When my dad's best friend Jack would come over Coach would go get his bag, which had his stuff for adventures, and go wait by the door. He didn't want his favorite person to leave without him. A few years ago my dad told me he was taking Coach to obedience school. My response, "Why? Is he teaching a class?" Dad said,"no. I just thought it would be fun for us, a good way to spend some time together."

He could identify his toys by name, differentiate the orange frisbee from the green one. He could play catch with my mom in the living room, passing her the ball after she passed it to him. When I was sad he would lick away my tears. When Brooke was scared he would lay in her room by her side. When my dad was sick he would sleep all day just to be near him. He loved us the way only a dog can. And we loved him the best we knew how.

My mom said that in the end, when he wasn't doing well, he would rally whenever I would come home. After being barely able to walk for a week, he'd go out with me for an hour. He was so excited to be with me. It reminded me of when I left school and it was too hard to be around people - Coach and I would go out for hours, down to the creek and all around the section - and he would keep me company, keep me sane, keep his eye on me.

There is no way to adequately express all he gave to our family.