Remembering Togo: A Once-in-a-Lifetime Hunting…

Remembering Togo: A Once-in-a-Lifetime Hunting Dog

A heartfelt tribute to one unforgettable British Labrador and the simple idea that turned grief into a wall of joy and lasting memories.

I realize any person can have a special relationship with his or her pet, regardless of whether their companion is a dog, cat or another one of God’s creatures.

That said, I do think there’s something about the freezing cold of a duck blind, or the shared struggle of pounding through a thick cattail swamp for pheasants, that forms an even deeper connection between man and his best friend — or a woman and her best friend. FYI: Though I don’t have firsthand experience in these areas, I assume the same is true for a law enforcement officer and their K9 partner, or a big game tracker and their blood-trailing dog, etc.

This article is partly a tribute to Togo, a British Lab my family was blessed to live with for 14 years. (Click here for an explanation of her name in a short story I wrote titled, “10 Best Hunting Dog Names.” I think you’ll find it interesting.)

Togo was born on May 15, 2010, and we brought her home from the breeder in early July, the reason for the patriotic collar in the photo below.

Togo first day at home — Togo’s first day as a member of the Maas Family; early July 2010.

As the days, weeks, months and years went by, Togo was a cherished member of our family. Her calm temperament, intelligence, obedience and desire to please — at home and in the field — was extraordinary. I know I’ll never be blessed with another Togo; she was my once-in-a-lifetime dog.

Togo blood trailing pic — In addition to being an outstanding gun dog, Togo was also trained to help find arrow-hit whitetails.

Togo Christmas 2022 — Togo and the kids, Christmas 2022. Check out the pajama pant pattern!

Turning Grief Into Grace

My primary reason for writing this story isn’t to detail her wonderful life. No — it’s to offer insights into how I dealt with her death.

The author and Togo in April 2023 — The author took a day off from work in April 2023 and simply spent the day hanging out with Togo at home. She had been sick and was getting worse. It seemed clear that the end was near. Somehow, though, she rebounded. Togo never hunted again, but she lived a happy life until old age finally took her in August 2024 at age 14.

Sharing time with Togo Aug 23 2024 — The author’s family saying goodbye to Togo on Aug. 23, 2024. So hard.

Togo’s metal crate was on the linoleum floor between my kitchen and living room. For the first 10 years of her life, she slept in the crate (door closed). Later in life, we left the crate door open, and she’d split her nights between the crate and a nearby dog bed. I mention this fact because after Togo’s passing, I cleaned out her crate but left it in place. I thought that leaving it there would help me deal with her absence. I could not have been more wrong.

Because I work from a home office, I’d walk by her crate dozens of times per day. And almost every time I’d look at the empty crate and miss her terribly.

So I finally bit the bullet and collapsed the crate, moving it into storage. I swept up all the dog hair under and behind the crate, and that was a tough task. I thought that eliminating the crate would help me deal with her absence. Again, I could not have been more wrong.

Every time I walked by the empty space, where the crate used to stand, I missed her terribly. I was really struggling.

Finally, one day while eating lunch only 20 feet from where her crate used to sit, I looked around my house, at the many pictures of family hanging on various walls. I had an idea: Compile my favorite Togo pics and showcase them on the low wall that used to serve as the backdrop for her crate.

With help from my family, I put in an order to Shutterfly for Togo prints of various dimensions, including a couple poster size. I bought inexpensive frames from Amazon. Once I had the prints and frames in hand, I spent an hour arranging and hanging them.