Dog in viral photo dies

I wouldn’t say I am a dog person. I am not a fan of it’s drooling, shedding and occasional urge to vomit on carpet. A dog won’t puke on hard wood flooring. No, no, no, that would be too easy to clean. A light colored area rug? Perfect.

I was in line at Target behind a woman whose shirt was covered in cat hair. I wanted to slip a lint brush in her cart. She must have been really hot. The temperature inside the store felt like 90 degrees. In case you missed the news, we are having a heat wave on the east coast. I always hated covering hot weather stories when I was a reporter. TV stations assume you are too dumb to remember to drink water when you are hot. So, they have to remind you year after year after year. Anyway, while at Target, an employee made an announcement that they were dimming the lights and turning down the air conditioner to conserve energy. I’m sorry, but I don’t want to sweat while shopping for things I love, but don’t really need. (#FIRSTWORLDPROBLEMS)

I got sidetracked. What was this blog post about? Oh yeah, pets. My point is I don’t have bumper stickers declaring my devotion to animals, but I have grown to love our dog, Max. Max puts up with a lot of s***. My daughter tugs at his tail. My son chases Max and steals his favorite toy. Max doesn’t defriend them on Facebook. He has yet to bite off a finger or toe. Max will even snuggle up to his tormentors.

I get why people become so attached to a family pet. I even got a little teary eyed when reading that the dog in this viral photo has died:

Here is the background via The Huffington Post:

Schoep, the dog made famous on the Internet for this touching photo, has died at 20 years old.

The photo went viral online, and millions of people were touched by the relationship between man and dog. Readers sent in thousands of dollars in donations to help pay for Schoep’s treatment.

Rest in peace Schoep.