jessy leigh

I met Desmond the Greyt on a warm day in the fall of 2015. I had just moved to Austin towards the end of the summer, and was finding myself feeling more and more alone in my 500 sq ft apartment. I was thinking about adopting a dog, and my new coworker graciously offered to stop by with his greyhound so I could meet him and see if I might want to consider adopting a large dog. Up until that point in my life I had been terrified of larger dogs, and meeting Desmond was something I was extremely anxious about despite Clarke singing his praises. He was awfully curious though, and in his quest to convince me to pet him he moved a little too quickly (which startled me) and I stepped on his poor paw. He cried of course (the biggest drama queen) and I immediately felt like the most terrible human on earth. I knew I had to cave & give him some serious love if I wanted to rectify the situation, and I haven’t stopped loving him since.

I was lucky enough to have eight years with our beautiful boy. I can remember how soft his cheeks were, and how he groaned when you scratched his ears just right. I laugh when I think about how his “passive-aggressive laziness” both irritated and delighted us on a daily basis. If I listen closely, I can still hear his paws on the laminate, his deep sighs of contentment, and the little noises he would make when he was dreaming. I can see his sweet face when I close my eyes, and I long for the day when I’ll get to put my forehead against his again.

We all have bad days, but mine were better with you. I’ll love you forever, Mr. Gooberfish.

💙 8/25/2009 - 11/29/2023 💚