Iago Veritas, 13, Loyal family pet.

June 30, 1995 - September 9, 2008

Iago Veritas beloved Miniature Pinscher of the CityFamily/ CountryFamily died today of complications related to lung cancer. He was 13 years old. 

Iago grew up in the City of Philadelphia where as a puppy, he attended "Puppy Kindergarten" in Head House Square. He chose not to continue his studies but rather to concentrate on being a loyal and loving household pet. The CityFamily/CountryFamily was blessed to be on the receiving end of that love and loyalty. Iago was well-loved by all he met. He was said to be the kind of dog who "never met a lap he didn't like." He  was a big dog in a small dog's body and in his time, was known to charm even "small dog haters" into fans of his. He was well-behaved, friendly and kind to both children and adults. 

He got his name when he was adopted by his Mommy and Daddy as a small pup of only 2.2 pounds. His Daddy felt that it would be amusing to name such a sweet and lovable dog with an "evil name" and  being an English major in college, instantly thought of the character of Iago from Shakespeare's "Othello". Veritas, meaning honest was his middle name since Iago is often called "Honest Iago" in the play of "Othello". Iago in the play was anything but honest but Iago the Min Pin was honest and true to the end. 

In his free time, Iago enjoyed playing with his nubby ball, attacking the mail as it came through the mail slot of his City House, eating dehydrated liver treats, barking at strangers on the street and snuggling up with his family and friends. His favorite place was on his Mommy's lap under a blanket. He was especially adept at finding any small patch of sunlight on the floor and laying right in it. His canine siblings might say that he wasn't always willing to share his patches of sunlight but they loved him in spite of this minor flaw. He was always proud of his bright eyes, shiny coat and wagging stump of a tail and was happy to wag that thing for anyone who could even remotely appreciate it. 

His adopted sister Desdemona (also a Miniature Pinscher) died in 2006 but he is survived by his human Mommy, Daddy and brother as well as his adopted canine brothers DaVinci and Zigfried. 

The family will be mourning Iago's loss for quite some time and asks that you remember how important your pets are and to treat them extra special in Iago's memory. 

We love you Iago. We'll miss you Old Friend. 

My heart is breaking.

In a little over an hour, we're taking Iago, our 13 year old Miniature Pinscher to the vet to have him put to sleep. Iago was diagnosed with lung cancer in March and there was really nothing they could do to help him. He's done really great until just about last week when he rapidly declined. I feel grateful that we had a few more good months with him and that he's a relatively older dog anyway. It's just so hard and I know how much I'll miss my sweet boy. 

MIL is visiting so she can stay with The Son while The Husband and I take Iago so today is really the best day to do it I think. We're having a miserable cloudy thunderstormy day too so it all kind of just fits. 

I'll post some pictures of him and a little obituary later. You're going to have to wait another day for those mushrooms.