Bayshek 10/13/98 - 5/3/07
This post is a tribute to Bayshek, my twin sister's German Shepherd. My sister, Laura, has always been in love with the GSD breed, just as I have with Great Danes. Bayshek arrived as a Christmas gift from her husband in 1998 as a tiny, fuzzy 8 1/2 week old puppy, and has been a big part of our family's life from that moment on. Laura chose the name "Bayshek", which translates as "number one" in the Ojibwe language, because that was the name of one of our family's favorite lead sled dogs back when that was their primary winter transportation.
Bayshek became equally important to my whole family, not as a working dog, but as a loved family member. At our resort he was the first one to greet guests and customers, and many of those people fell in love with him as well. At family gatherings Bayshek was always there sharing good times. He was an intelligent, gentle dog, and with my sister's guidance he grew up to be extremely well behaved. You rarely see a dog/human relationship as close as that of Laura and Bayshek. Together with her, he was intuitive and able to anticipate her actions, and was the perfect picture of an obediant, well-mannered dog. He truly did live to please others.
Bayshek died at 8:53pm on May 3rd of this year.
After a terrible seizure episode his health was deteriorating and my sister made the toughest decision of her life to put her boy to sleep. He is now buried next to our family's other pets on a hillside at our resort, and an etched stone marks his resting place. Bayshek was, and remains, my sister's best friend.
We miss you, Gingersnap, and we will never forget you. Rest in peace, big puppy.
To learn more about Bayshek you may visit his Dogster page or his memorial on Laura's website.