Elmo was picked up as a stray and spent several weeks in a local animal control facility before coming into rescue. Elmo is quite a dominant dog by nature and nobody had ever taken the time to teach him any manners. However, after spending some time in a foster home with consistent rules and boundaries, he quickly learned the value of being a good canine citizen. Elmo is now living with a retired couple in Qualicum Beach, who say it was “love at first sight” when they met him.

Elmo’s dad writes a column in his local newspaper, "The News". In one of his columns, he talks about Elmo: 

A Friend is Someone to Unwind With, to Speak With and More 
(April 21, 2006)

Some columns are harder to write than others. This one has eluded me for 14 months because I found it too painful to write of a dear friend’s death. 

What do we look for in a friend? For some people it’s simply someone to talk to, to unwind with and relate the latest ups and downs of their lives. I think that’s where I fit in, needing someone to talk to who will always be ready to listen, to be non-judgmental and above all, patient with some of my more outlandish rants. Of course, I’m lucky enough to have a wife who acts in this capacity but, in fairness, she needs a break sometimes. That’s where my friend came in. 

I found that the best time for us was during walks together. We would discuss politics and politicians, nitwits speeding on our residential streets, neighbors’ gardens and the state of them, who was getting a new roof and who needed one. Our range of topics was pretty broad and on nearly every point we agreed. In fact, the only times we had minor disagreements was when one of us wanted to turn left and the other wished to turn right. Our friendship was far too strong to let this kind of petty stuff spoil our time together. 

On Nov. 17, 2004 my friend passed away at the ripe old age of 15. His name was Corky and if ever a dog deserved a permanent place in a human heart, he did. 

It has been often said the greatest compliment to one we have loved and lost is to find another, not a replacement but a continuation of something so much a part of us. So Corky is gone and we shall always think lovingly of him. 

From that awful day to last week, my walks have been pretty solitary and gloomy affairs. I still talked out loud but to myself and I’m sure some passers-by thought that I had wandered away from a care facility or had forgotten to take my medication. I can’t blame them; the sight of a fairly ramshackle old guy wandering the streets talking to himself is sure to depress real estate values in any community. 

One day, almost magically, we came across another creature needing company and conversation. His name is Elmo and he came to us courtesy of some dedicated people who run a local animal rescue group called Furever After. I guess it was love at first sight because Elmo settled into our place within an hour and within a day had us partially trained. He’s seven years old and is clued up on manipulating humans. He knows all the tricks and shamelessly uses them. 

Once again I wander our streets carrying little plastic bags, cussing at speeding drivers and grumbling about walkers on the wrong side of the road, railing at treacherous politicians and, oh yes, writing columns out loud to a very attentive listener. 

After spending four happy years in his forever home, Elmo succumbed to a fatal stroke and made his journey to the Rainbow Bridge.