I grew up with a seemingly endless supply of pets and farm animals. We had pigs, goats, ducks, geese, a horse, cows, rabbits, dogs, and cats. I’m sure I am forgetting a few! I enjoyed having so many different animals but I also knew they were a lot of work. Patrick also grew up with pets, although they didn’t have as many.
When we were first married Patrick had no desire to have a pet and I was okay with that. After the girls were born and we moved to Clovis we began talking about it. Patrick considered it one of those obligatory things that “good” parents do. Finally he decided we could get a pet but there were conditions. He got to pick the breed and the name. I was very nervous!
When he told me he wanted a pug I was reluctant. They’re kind of ugly with their flattened nose. He went to pick one out and when he showed me the picture I fell in love! Now he needed a name! 
One of my favorite movies is “The Birdcage” with Robin Williams and Nathan Lane. Hank Azaria plays a gay male maid who is hilarious. The maid’s name is Agador Spartacus and that is the name Patrick chose. I wasn’t thrilled with his choices but I did want a dog so I agreed. The day “Aggie” came home, I left work early and picked him up. We had a plan to surprise the girls. I waited with him in the family room and Patrick picked the girls up. When they walked in, Aggie was exploring the room. There was initial confusion and then shouts of glee when the girls realized that the adorable little black dog was theirs! 
Aggie lived up to his crazy name. He had more personality than any dog I’ve ever known. He regularly entertained us with his goofy behavior. Patrick asked me once if I thought other people sat around and just laughed at their dog. I wasn’t sure about everyone else but we did that frequently. He had crazy mannerisms and seemed to enjoy spinning, especially as Patrick ran the lawnmower. Aggie and the lawnmower.
Since we have a pool we decided we needed to know if he could swim. He would paddle his paws before he even hit the water and head immediately to the steps. He hated swimming but he would run back and forth barking until you splashed him.
Patrick and I always thought it was ridiculous when people spent thousands of dollars on medical care for their pets. We would NEVER do that! That changed on Father’s Day one year when a bee stung Aggie. Patrick and the girls rushed him to the Pet ER while I stayed with our guests. He spent four of five days there but amazingly survived and lived many years after that. The Pet ER sent us home with a cool reusable bag, a few other souvenirs and a $2,000 bill. That was the best $2,000 we ever spent!
No strangers ever came to visit Aggie. Every person who came over was a special guest who was there to give him attention. He made sure you knew this and rewarded you with as many licks as you would allow. If you were bald, like Uncle Denny, he would be happy to clean your head if it was within reach. Uncle Denny Some guests really encouraged this type of affection. Desmond and Aggie (Patrick commentary)
He was super hyper when he was young but became calmer as he aged. At night when he was tired he would run upstairs to Camille’s room (where he slept) and he would come back with his stuffed chicken. Patrick would say “Chicken time!” and we would all laugh! He really was part of the family! 
After Patrick died I expected to see Aggie looking for him. He never did. Instead he became my constant companion and stayed as close to me as possible. More than once I thought I was going to trip over him. And I had to splash water on him to get him to move away from the tub so I could get out.
He got sick fairly quickly and within the span of a few weeks he started getting weak. On Friday he could no longer stand on his back legs but he seemed to be fairly comfortable. He slowly deteriorated and by today we knew it was time to let him go. We loved on him all weekend and took him to the vet today. We all cried but we have been through worse so we will get through this too.
Over the last 11 months I thanked Patrick many times for picking out this wonderful bundle of love. He brought a lot of cheer to our lives during some of the darkest days. I like to think that he ran right into Patrick’s arms and was scooped up and told what a good boy he was for taking care of us all this time. He was the best! Rest In Peace my sweet little boy!
