Easter Sunday was a tough day around Casa de Freak. The day began with Freakette discovering that there is no Easter Bunny and they day ended with our dog dying very suddenly.

Perry was a wonderful dog and a loving, committed member of our family. I miss him every day and I’m getting choked up writing this, but a great guy like that deserves his due on Cover Freak.

Randy California “Walking The Dog” (Rufus Thomas)
Walking the dog was a daily duty for the seven years Perry was with us. It wasn’t so much fun when it was raining or below zero, but it was part of his routine. Dogs are creatures of habit, after all. So it was part of my routine as well. I still get the feeling that I’m forgetting to do something when I don’t walk him after dinner.

White Man Kamikaze “Hound Dog” (Carl Perkins)
Perry wasn’t a hound dog, he was a Wheaten terrier. He was much higher maintenance than a hound dog would have been for several reasons. He didn’t shed, which meant that he had to be taken to the groomer for expensive haircuts. He was bred at a puppy farm and was seriously inbred. He came to us through a rescue program because he was too high-strung for his original owners to cope with. But with patience and love we found the gentle soul behind his cross-wired brain.

The Gourds “Gin And Juice” (Snoop Dogg)
Perry became ill in the late afternoon just as we were going over to our neighbor’s house for Easter dinner. I was worried about him and went back to our house to check on him a couple of times. By the time I realized how sick he was it was too late. Perry died in the car on the way to the emergency vet two hours after he started acting ill. I never got Easter dinner, I had no appetite. I’m not a big fan of gin, but I did need a stiff drink after it was all said and done.

Wilson Pickett “Mama Told Me Not To Come” (Randy Newman/Three Dog Night)
Perry was always up for a party. He loved people and a party was an excuse for him to go from person to person getting his head scratched all night long. He didn’t care how strange the party got or whether anybody told him not to come. If there was a party, he was there.

This song was of course written by Randy Newman but by far the most popular version was recorded by Three Dog Night, which is why it’s included here.

The Supernaturals “You’re My Best Friend” (Queen)
A dog is a loyal and devoted friend. It doesn’t matter what the rest of the world thinks about you, or what kind of day you’ve had. When you come home your dog is always so happy to see you it’s like you’ve risen from the dead. It’s so weird to come home and not have Perry jumping on me. It makes me a little sad every day.