Stanley
Date of Passing: 06/07/2025
Message to Stanley: Sir Stanlius von Gorskius the First, having sniffed and gone to the bathroom upon every blade of grass across three zip codes, smooched the cheeks of his parents a billion times, protected the house from cartoon horses, chased his blue ball and tennis balls until his paws were scuffed, manically bounced around the shore of Lake Michigan, provided love, affection, and companionship like no other creature could, and existed for 15 years as the perfect dog for our family, left the planet on Saturday, June 7, 2025.
Tell us about Stanley: At our first condo, our bedroom was next to the family room. Countless times we would be watching TV and Stanley would sigh, stand up, stretch, jump off of the couch, and make his way to the bedroom. Close enough to keep tabs on us, far enough to be free of the sound of our chatter, or from us messing with his ears. It was in this same place that he would wait to eat dinner until 10:45 or 11:00. Lights out, about to fall asleep, and down he jumps, his paws click-clacking the length of the hallway to the kitchen. A pause; then the crunch crunch crunch of his late meal would begin. He’d rejoin us in bed with a burp and the tips of his ears wet from an after-dinner drink. He was deemed the Mayor of Wrigleyville as he walked the streets from 2010-2017. He sat on the bench with us as we watched fans pour in; he ran his tush off at the dog park, often putting up quite the fight when it was time to go home; he peed on every blade of grass, every tree, and every sign post. He watched over the neighborhood from his chair by the window, his chin resting on the arm. And he would go up and down three flights of stairs, four times a day. We were all young enough for a walk-up. Was there any life before him? We vaguely remember.
You know how dogs just know? He loved us exactly the way we needed it from the first moment we saw him until the last. He was most comfortable with superior lumbar support, and tried to find it next to you whenever possible. He spent every night curled up next to me with his side tucked in below my chin. If I rolled over, he would sigh, stand up and make a quarter circle so we were back to back. During the stretch of life that included seven IVF cycles, our adoption journey, a pandemic, and my dad dying, he provided unwavering love and affection in the form of pooch smooches and snuggles. He was a shadow dog. A reliable companion for every trip to the kitchen, yes, and also to the bathroom, where he would poke his nose under the door or just walk in if the it was left ajar.
Of course we doted on him: he deserved nothing less. Imagine his dismay when Kona arrived, and later Teddy. Sometimes amidst the chaos, he would make eye contact with me as if to say, “You did this to us.” But he also (begrudgingly) checked on Teddy the same way he would check on me. As for Kona: Stanley spent his twilight years with her by his side on the couch, under the kitchen table, and doing perimeter checks in the backyard. They are bonded, wacky, bozos and Kona will be lost without him. He faked sneezes to let us know when he was annoyed, like if we were one minute late for his 4:10pm walk. His kisses smelled like an elixir of Chinese food, garbage, and Sweet Tarts, especially as he got older. Almost every evening he would find a sock of Scott’s and carry it whining to the family room, drop it, and then forget it existed. Once at Christmas in Michigan, he ate an entire bag of peanut butter M&Ms and then hid the empty bag under the bed. The next year, he helped himself to the corner of a chocolate cake. He could make himself big and take up an entire couch cushion, or curl up like a miniature croissant to fit next to his people. He pranced and danced on walks, needing to be out front, and needing to stop and pee a dozen times.
Sir Stanlius von Goskius the First. Looch. Mr. Gonzalez. Stanley-boy. Poochington.A dog by any other name could never have been our dog. Stanley was ours. He was silly, and stoic, and patient, and fluffy. He had bonus fur on his back paws, pristine and untouched by the elements, there just for us to marvel over. He had a line of tan fur right above his nose and blonde highlights in his ears. His tail was as long as his legs and always gave away his emotions. He was obsessed with fetch, and he loved his blue rubber ball the most. Well, second-most. He loved us the most. He loved us the best. We will love him forever.