Boss Vijayasankar 3/12/04 – 12/3/2016

Posted byVijay VijayasankarPosted inUncategorized

He was the biggest teddy bear of a pup when I picked him up from Marjorie Blake’s house in Bakersfield on May 8, 2004 . Turned Dhanya , who was mortally scared of all dogs , into the biggest dog lover overnight


He helped raise our daughter Shreya – she used to call him Chetta (big bro) till she was about 5 🙂



He was a great big brother to Hobo , when he came home for Shreya’s 4th birthday


He loved his toys – and food . Learned everything he needed for competitive obedience in about 4 weekends and two packs of hot dogs



He was a sage by the time Shreya was born . He got to be a puppy again as Hobo grew up . Hobo was ten times stronger , and Boss was a hundred times smarter and wiser 🙂


Along came little Ollie – Boss was already 9 by then but young enough to show the kid the ropes .

He kept alive my dream that Shreya would some day choose to handle in the show ring 🙂


He loved water – and was the ultimate gold fish . I must have tossed a few thousand oranges into that pool in last decade 🙂


Boss never met a stranger – he loved everyone . But for me he was my best buddy , my shadow . If I slept in – he would come find me and wake me up without fail . He loved riding shotgun with me in the SUV


He was the “boss” of the gang – from day 1


He grew older gracefully , and we celebrated every birthday


He was diagnosed with Hemangiosarcoma in September 2016 . He underwent surgery to get a tumor removed . The surgeon gave us three months with him , and we tried our best to make every day with him the best he had


And today , December 3rd 2016 – he had all the ice cream , eggs and bacon he could eat . And before the vet took over – he had a giant slice of chocolate cake


And he went to sleep on my lap , just as he did the first day I met him and brought him back on a united airlines flight back to Phoenix .

You will always live in my heart Bossappai – you were and always will be the boss . Till we meet again , buddy !

Published by Vijay Vijayasankar

Son/Husband/Dad/Dog Lover/Engineer. Follow me on twitter @vijayasankarv. These blogs are all my personal views - and not in way related to my employer or past employers

32 thoughts on “Boss Vijayasankar 3/12/04 – 12/3/2016”

  2. Thank you for sharing this beautiful story of Boss! There is a poem from Justina M. Hoerner that I thought about when reading your blog.
    ———–

    Best Friend

    Remember all the good times,
    Remember all the bad.
    You stuck with me through everything,
    The best friend I have had.

    Through trying times you stayed with me.
    You’ve sure improved my life.
    You cheered me up when I was down,
    Stuck with me through my strife.

    Think about the good stuff, too,
    Remember when we met?
    I knew that I could trust you.
    The best friend anyone could get.

    Why is it that good things
    Never seem to last?
    You try to think about them,
    But time erases past.

    Sometimes I feel your presence,
    I seem to hear your voice.
    Memories flood back to me,
    And I sit and rejoice.

    Just know that I miss you.
    I never will forget,
    The times I spent together
    With you, beloved pet.

    Like

    Reply

  8. So sorry for you and your family. Boss will be waiting for you – of that I’m sure. He was an amazing dog with a great family for him to love. This was as everyone has said an amazing tribute to Boss. He lives in your hearts and the hearts of the many people that have read him. Saying goodbye to a family member is always hard.

    Like

    Reply

  9. Vijay….terribly sorry for your loss. Boss RIP. What a touching tribute! Though I was never a dog lover, your stories of Boss, Hobo and Ollie over the past couple of years have made me realize that in life we connect with souls — not forms or bodies. This post made me well up .. just reminded me of the evening we had dinner together in Mtn View when I could feel your pain on the loss of a dear mentor. My condolences to you, Shreya and Dhanya.

    Like

    Reply

  10. Terribly sorry to hear the news Vijay. Even though I’m a cat guy, your ‘dog posts’ on social media never fail to bring a smile to my face and also remind me of the great person you are. I wish I was your dog, life would be awesome I know it:-) This photo montage is already bookmarked for me. My deepest sympathy to you and the rest of your human and canine family.

    Like

    Reply

  11. That was a beautiful tribute Vijay, worthy of all that he gave and the joy that he brought. It is never easy when such things pass, as they must, that is in their nature and ours. Boss made the most of his time. One thing you forgot to mention: Boss was a Facebook rock star, especially when you posted pics of him romping in the pool or cuddling with family. I tried to never post on Facebook near your Boss posts, otherwise no one would see mine – Boss won the page views and likes every time – including my own.

    – Jon

    Like

    Reply

  12. This is so wonderful Vijay … I am so sorry for your loss, but looking in teh Bossappai I can see how happy he is even when diagnosed and in his last days. This is sad, but in a way, happiness for him. He lived his life with a wonderful family, as much as you called him “boss” he LOVED SO MUCH being your servant, your lawfully undisputable unquestionable servant. I used to train dogs in my military special forces time and I trained and got so deeply connected with many dogs there. And then … sadly they left this world … in many cases gave their lives to save mine. I used to grief for days an nights but then I cam to think that they really had good life. They loved their lives with me, along side, serving and enjoying every second of this relationship. It’s important to die with a smile on your face and Bpssappai had this !!!

    Like

    Reply

  13. Dear Chittappan I am writing this again to remind you that I have written my view which I have written on your blog about the loss of your loved one I am writing this again as I was not able to post it properly the first time due to poor net connection all I wanna say to you is that I know how you feel when you lose your loved one even though boss was not my dog I know it hurts as I can relate to the same experience as I lost my snopie in my old house at kuddappanakunnu last year the best think do now is cherish the best moments you all had together with boss. may God bless your family and especially boss

    Like

    Reply

  14. Rest in peace boss tears fell through my eyes as j read this I lost my one of my buddy snopie last year in my old house in kuddappanakunnu Chittappan I am sure all of you had the best memories about him but he will be remembered even though he was not my dog but I do know how it feels when someone loses their loved one. God bless you all and especially boss

    Like

    Reply

  16. Oh Vijay-what a wonderful tribute to Boss. The love you have for him came through in every word you wrote just as his love and devotion for you showed in every picture. He will guard the gates of heaven for you and wait. His time on earth was less than yours because he already knew what we all need to learn: have unconditional faith in those you love, trust completely the ones closest to you and cherish every moment of life and our time together for they are far too few. His pain is over and now he is young and healthy and running and swimming -tail wagging watching over you and your family now and forever. My heart hurts for your loss. Be strong my friend for he will always be a part of your heart.

    Like

    Reply

Leave a comment