In Memory of Hercules "Herc"
2004-2005

Have you ever looked at someone and thought,” Oh My God, I would do anything for this person to make them happy, I just love them so much.” That’s exactly what I thought when I first saw Hercules and every single day that he was in my life. He touched my heart from the very beginning; he was who I wanted to wake up next to everyday and who I rushed home to every night. No mater what went wrong in my life Hercules was always there, licking my face, making me smile and ready to cuddle. He was my best friend, my son and my soul mate.

I was not the only person under Hercules’s spell. His daddy (Jeff), sister, uncles/aunts, people on the street and his grandparents all fell head over heels for him. He was quite the charmer. Jeff’s niece is deaf and as soon as Hercules saw her he went up to her and licked her ear. While I recovered from a minor surgery Hercules laid in bed with me licking my hand and never leaving my side. As soon as he walked into Nana’s and Papa’s he was up on the couch, rolling around with excitement, and then off to the kitchen where Papa fed him turkey.

He enjoyed playing with his Olde English Bulldog sister, Xena, they would do damage to our couch rolling around and hiding toys together then crashing side-by-side snuggling up together. Hercules was sweet, he was mischievous, he was gentle, he was funny, he was smart, he was kind and he was the best thing that ever happened to Jeff and I.

His death was too sudden, he was taken from us too young, he had a lot of living in him left to do, he was only 19 months. He died while under the care of his dog walker, who was recommended to me by an acquaintance and featured in Boston Magazine. She had him off-leash near a river (as we all know Frenchies can’t swim) this past December 2005 and he drowned. She has not given us a complete account of the incident and has been very unprofessional in the aftermath. Please do not let this happened to your precious baby. Ask questions, make sure off-leash play is monitored and make sure you know exactly what goes on at these play dates. Please do not let Hercules’s death be in vain.

In loving memory of Hercules who only knew how to love, we miss you so much our baby boy.