Wolfgang Smith, A Good Dog and True: 2001-2016

~ Jenny

Wolfie

Wolfie was born in a &%^$*&^ puppy mill which is why he had such extreme parrot mouth and looked like a very small, deranged wolf. He was shipped to a pet store where some idiot bought him and then returned him. Then somebody else bought him, and then they gave him to somebody else. I picked him up to take him to Dachshund Rescue as a courier and then refused to hand him over, so I was his fourth owner before he was a year old. We were together for the next fourteen years, through moves to Columbus, two moves in Cincinnati, and one move to New Jersey. He was generally an easy-going dog, aside from the occasional bouts of vamp-face snarling that tapered off as he got older. He had issues. Who doesn’t?

He was the model for Steve in Faking It, and appeared as himself with new puppy Milton in Dogs and Goddesses. I’m sure he’s now chasing squirrels in dog heaven (he always got along with cats), free of the arthritis, blindness, deafness, heart murmur, leg tumor, and other ailments that brought him down in the end.

He is survived by his foster brother, Milton, his foster sisters, Mona and Veronica, and that woman who kept feeding him.

He was a good dog and true, and he will be very much missed.

78 thoughts on “Wolfgang Smith, A Good Dog and True: 2001-2016”

  1. Jenny, I am so, so sorry. It is so hard to say goodbye. I am sure Wolfie knew he was loved.

  2. I am so sorry for your loss. I always enjoyed reading your anecdotes about Wolfie. What a wonderful pet friend you are. Big hugs.

  3. Ah, so very sorry for your loss. I love the photo – those eyes! Looks like a sweet, scrappy little guy, and smart — he sure knew how to pick the right courier for his journey 🙂 May he rest in peace with many squirrels to chase and cats to cuddle.

  5. So very sorry. I love your stories about all your fur babies. I’m sure he is in a great place with things to chase and explore.

  8. So sorry to hear of his passing. I hear it’s easier to catch the squirrels in the afterlife, although that could be a rumor. Oh, and the bowls there overflow with kibble, too.

  12. So sorry Jenny for the loss of Wolfie. It was always fun to read your stories about his and Mona’s, Milton’s and Veronica’s adventures. It is always hard to lose a beloved member of the family regardless of how much we think we are prepared for it.

    I am sure you will take and give comfort with the rest of the family. May I offer my sympathy. I know he will always live in your heart.

  13. So, so sorry. Just breaks your heart when they go. He was lucky to have you and you were lucky to have him.

  15. Lotta heartbreak around these days. Loved Wolfie, loved the stories, and now with the photo I even love him more. Thank you for letting us know. Sorry for you and your other buddies’ loss.
    Going to hug The Shredder and Petey now.

  17. I am so sorry.

    Please remember that 15 years for a puppy mill doxie is a good long life. No dog lives long enough when you love them but you gave him a long & happy life.

  19. So sorry for your loss. I hope his ending was peaceful and that you got a chance to say goodbye in a way that helped with the grief.

  20. Oh, Jenny, I’m so sorry. I’ve always loved stories about Wolfie and his pals.

    There’s nothing that makes it easier. I’m just so sorry.

  21. Awww, Jenny, I’m so, so very sorry. They become such a part of our hearts and take a tiny piece when they leave us, but you loved him to pieces and he loved you and there isn’t anything better in the world than to be loved by a pet. I’m giving you virtual hugs and crying. Hug your pack and heal.

  22. Thank you all very much.

    His end was very peaceful. He’d gotten so old that I’d been carrying him out to the yard in the morning. That morning I put him down, gave him a treat, went back inside for something, and when I came back, he’d fallen over and couldn’t get up. At that point, it really was kinder to let him go. We have an excellent vet who was very gentle, and I’m not even sure he knew what was happening when she put the catheter in. I held him while he went to sleep, and it was very quiet and easy.

    And then I went out to the car and cried. And then I bought McDonald’s plain hamburgers and brought them home to the other three. We’re good now.

    He had a very long life for a dachshund, and up until the last year or so, he was healthy and happy. So it was time. I just hope he doesn’t run into Lyle in the afterlife. They never did like each other. He and Annie the cat got along great, though. Maybe they can get together again.

    1. Oh sweetie, I am so sorry. Wolfie was fabulous and totally lucked out when he found you. He got to spend his life spoiled rotten and adored, part of a perfect pack with you and your wee beasties (relationship with Lyle not withstanding). Tears and hugs and sloppy puppy kisses to you. I’m going to go blubber at Angus and Emma until they demand treats.

  23. I’m sure my kitties Minerva and Samhain are forming a greeting committee with treats as we speak.

    He had an awful start and then a fabulous life with you. He clearly ended up where he was supposed to be. I’m glad the end wasn’t too bad, although there in no power in the ‘verse that can make it any more bearable.

    Lots of love.

  26. I’m so sorry for your loss. Wolfie’s cameo as Steve in Faking It was so very, very memorable. If I thought my dogs would enjoy it, I’d dress them up in bow-ties today to honor Wolfie. My heart-felt condolences.

  28. Dear Jenny,
    I join with everyone offering condolences. You made us feel as if we really knew Wolfie. I wish you comfort with the rest of your gang.
    Margaret

  29. I’m so sorry for your loss. It has been wonderful reading about Wolfie over the years whether as Steve or as himself here on the blog along with his siblings. I’m glad you were able to provide him with such a wonderful life and such a loving family. I hope his siblings adjust easily. I know they’ll be getting lots of hugs. Hugs and condolences to all of you.

  30. Jenny, I’m so sorry you lost Wolfie. He was such a sweet boy. I understand how difficult it is to lose a furry baby. <3 Rest in Peace Wolfie. Your family will see you again on the other side of the Rainbow Bridge. Run fee, baby! xoxo <3

  31. I’m so sorry. Wolfie had a good life, thanks to you. I’ve loved all the stories of him and the others over the years. RIP Wolfie and big hugs to you, Jenny.

  32. Sending hugs and pets to you all. I’ve enjoyed his appearance in your posts. I’ll miss him too. This is a hard year.

  33. It is the hardest and best thing we can do as pet owners to give them that final kindness. You gave him a lifetime of love and that is important. I am so very sorry.

  35. Jenny, I’m so sorry – it’s never easy to say goodbye, even when we know it’s the right thing. Big hugs to you and the rest of the pack.

  37. Hugs on your loss, Jenny. There’ll be echoes of him in your heart for a long, long time.

  38. Very sorry for your family’s loss. I enjoyed reading about Wolfie. Thanks for taking such good care of him.

  39. I’m so sorry. I’ll be giving my own furbabies extra attention with the reminder that they won’t be with me forever.

  43. My sympathies. And I’m so glad that he had 14 years with you.

    A loss of someone else’s beloved four-legged family member always makes me remember my own. Sigh. They don’t live long but boy do they love us ten times more.

    I hope every puppy mill owner gets what’s coming to them in this life. Yes, I do displace my grieving with anger, why do you ask.

  46. I add my condolences to all the others expressed here. Even though it is their time to go, it never feels like it is our time to let go.

    That sweet face cannot help but make you smile. Thank you for sharing Wolfie and all the other members of your pack with us.

  49. Jenny, I am so very sorry. Thank you for letting us get to know Wolfie. He was much loved by lots of people, and he will be missed.

  50. Oh, so sad. Inevitable it may be but that doesn’t make it easier. I shed a tear too, then went to hug my Lizzy (who followed my puppy-mill baby Daisy Mae) and my hello-the-universe-sent-me-to-comfort-you Simon the cat to remember that I may still have them for 10 years or so. Sigh. Funny, I also talked to my long-gone Becky today for the first time since she went over the rainbow bridge — perhaps the gate was more open today.

    Hugs from all of us. Go hug the other babies for me.

  51. It breaks my heart reading about Wolfie’s passing! I feel as if I knew him! And to think of you both outside when he couldn’t get up…the tenderness in the midst of suffering. The bond bigger than the suffering.

    Hurrah for love. And for hamburgers. Hugs to the Crusie clan, both furry and human.

  52. I’m so sorry. Wolfie had a magnificent life with you after a rocky start and was blessed to have you as his doggy mommy. I’m sure my Midnight is playing with him in puppy heaven. Much love being sent your way.

  55. I always loved reading about Wolfie, and as the years went on I thought, ”Yeah, he’s still around!” I am sorry your family is sad and grieving and am glad you have many years of memories to keep you company when you are missing Wolfie.

  57. Vale, Wolfie. Very sorry to hear this and for your loss. It’s always so hard to lose a pet. They give us so much joy and you gave Wolfie lots of joy too over the years.

  58. WEBS, Jenny. You gave me comfort when I lost Midnight my black lab to old age. I wish I could do the same for you. All I can say is the love they give us while they live make the pain of their passing worth it. Although it doesn’t really feel like that when you are feeling the heartache.

    FGBVS.

  60. I am so sorry. It is so hard to lose part of your family. Your readers loved Steve, so Wolfie was able to touch so many of us.

  61. It seems so strange to me to be sad about a death so distant from me. Generally I don’t find death as sad as most people seem to. But this death is somehow.
    I really liked him, the bits I’ve seen here, and the time I spent with his fictional selves. I’m sorry he is gone.

    I am sorry for your loss, may your memories of him be good ones.

  62. This breaks my heart for you. It’s pouring rain here and I was already blue, so hearing he’s gone made me bawl. What a good boy he was; I’ve loved him since Dogs and Goddesses. You all were so blessed to have each other for so long. Going to hug my almost-16 year old lab mix and 12+ Pyr, and sending you their sloppy doggy kisses for comfort. Wolfie will be so missed.

  63. I’m so sorry. I feel like I knew him and am glad he had you for so long.
    I’m glad you had him too.
    xoxo
    Katrina D.

  64. I am so sorry. I, too, loved to hear your stories about Wolfie and the other dogs. It is not easy, as others have already mentioned, to lose a beloved pet, especially when you’ve had him so long. Extra hugs to you and the other dogs.

  65. I’ve loved all the anecdotal and fictional references you make about dogs, Jenny, and I’m so very sorry about the loss of Wolfie. Please accept my sympathies and warm thoughts.

  67. We’ve all shared Wolfie’s wonderfulness: his stories, his alter-egos, and his great photos. He was a good dog, and will be missed by all.

    1. We lost our Jodee (Norwich terrier), on the same day as Wolfie, she was March 1, 2001, B-Day.

      They are probably together talking about their humans and playing cards.

  68. So sorry, Jenny. He had the cutest face. There are a pack of good little dogs for him to play with.

  71. I am so sorry for your loss of Wolfie, I know words are not enough and that space left behind can never be filled but I have found through my love of our four legged companions such great inspiration and vasts amounts of love, that I didnt even know I had within myself. I Still have a huge hole left from a five pound cat who ruled our household but had rescued two new kitten over the year and half since her loss and suddenly my heart grew and the love I have for these two is so immense it makes the loss bearable. Thank you for sharing Wolfie in your stories so he can be eternal and in this post………………..what can I say, I am a sucker for how animal come into everyone’s lives.

  72. I am so sorry Jenny. I hope you and the rest of the gang are doing okay. I always loved hearing about him.

  73. So sorry about Wolfie. I know you will feel the loss for a very long time but you have such great memories. We lost our Remy at 15 5 years ago and we just now have gotten the courage to bring two whippet puppies into our life. I have fallen head over heels for them and I am sorry we deprived ourselves so long from the overwhelming love that comes from these small creatures. The journey is truly worth any heartache down the road.

  74. I am so sorry to hear about Wolfie. I know they don’t live forever – except in our hearts – and in good stories. He found a great family with y’all.

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