Jake-A Tribute to my Gardening Companion

Most people don't think of their dogs as gardening companions, but mine most certainly was.  He followed me wherever I was working and would watch the world go by until I moved on to the next spot.  My profile picture even includes him as he stayed by me while I lifted every rock in the wall into place.  He would stand outside the vegetable garden and wait to see if the green beans were big enough so he could get one of his favorite treats.
Jake was a great dog.  I know, everyone says that about their dog but he truly was.  He loved people.  On our walks we got to know lots of other dogs and their owners.  Jake always greeted the owner first before the customary sniffing began.  We live next to the park so he got to see lots of people and dogs go by.  We would hear voices call out his name from the other side of the fence in greeting.  The regular, non-dog owner, walkers also knew him.  Several carried treats in their pockets which endeared them to him even more.  It didn't take treats for him to like you though.  He was just as happy to have a scratch under the chin or a stroke down his back.  
He was an obedient dog who's vocabulary would astound most people.  He didn't speak it but he knew what you were saying beyond the simple, "Sit, stay, down, etc.".  We became friends with a neighborhood gardener who had no dog of his own but looked forward to our visits.  He kept treats in the cupboard just for Jake and a dish with "Jake" on the side sits on his porch for water.  I could let Jake off the leash and tell him, "Go find Stan" and off he would run to the back yard or garage until Stan would follow him out to the front yard.  We joked that he was a Stanley-retriever.
Jake in-fact was a Goldendoodle.  We got him 11 and 1/2 years ago when no one knew what the cross between a Standard Poodle and Golden Retriever would bring.  He was $300 and we thought that a pretty price for a mixed-breed.  He was worth every penny and then some.  Ask people now what they get for this fine mix of temperament and low-shed coat.  He fit in so well with our family.  The girls were able to establish their dominance over him in our pack and he learned the dos and don'ts of living in our house.  He border-trained so well that even with the back gate open, he would stand and bark at passing dogs from the invisible barrier of the back yard.  He never mastered dropping the ball during a game of fetch, so two tennis balls always were part of the game.  He didn't like swimming but would lay on the floating mats and enjoy the cool water from there.

Time goes quickly and we all have gotten older, but not as quickly as a dog does.  He still had that puppy about him but he slowed down and lost his stamina.  Our walks got shorter and slower.  Kidney problems started this spring and our 53 pound pup lost weight until he was last weighed in at 41.  I came home from work early this afternoon so I could be with him.  We took our last walk down to the vegetable garden where I found a few small, October beans for his last treat which he enjoyed as much as any other. So, on a very fine autumn day, we took our last drive to the vet with him.  I cried (I am crying) as he laid his head down for the last time.  The vet cried with us.  When Jake comes home, he will be laid to rest under the tree that I planted first in our backyard and was his favorite spot to be in.  I will always look to that spot and remember the greatest dog in the world.