d ROBERT’ S WORLD
He Was a Good Dog
BY ROBERT SMYTH
Remembering our beloved canine Cliff.
We at the Smyth home had something happen to us recently that has happened to countless people around the world, but, naturally, you’ re never really prepared for it. Our big dog, Cliff, passed away from natural causes at age 9. He was a very good dog, and even though he looked like a full-blown wolf, he was the sweetest dog I’ ve ever owned.
Cliff came into this world with eight brothers and sisters. His mom, Bella, was an 11-month-old German shepherd given to us by a friend. But the friend didn’ t tell us Bella was pregnant when he gave her to us. When I let him know later about the surprise puppies, he told me about the one time Bella got loose and said she must have met up with the big husky down the road a piece. Anybody else buying that?
I was gone for some reason when my wife called and said that I’ d have nine surprises when I got home. She actually rescued Cliff when he was born. He had rolled down the hill still in his embryonic sac and she found him. After several months, we finally found homes for all of the puppies, but we kept Cliff and his mom. Cliff got really big really quick, but luckily, we live next door to a gentleman who processes deer during hunting season, and he was happy to let Cliff and his mom grab the scraps. I cannot tell you the fun we had watching the UPS guy pull up one day to see two giant wolf dogs with a rib cage between them just gnawing away. We got very few packages for a while. We also had a van of evangelists in full dress pull up one day, and the minute they opened the door and saw the bones and the giant dogs, they said,“ Bless you and hallelujah,” then closed the door, and we never saw them again.
I cannot tell you the fun we had watching the UPS guy pull up one day to see two giant wolf dogs with a rib cage between them just gnawing away.
Cliff was also our youngest child’ s guardian whenever she was in the yard. There was nowhere Sarah could go that that dog didn’ t go too to make sure she was OK. When he was around 7, Cliff was hit by a car, which did terrible damage to his right back leg. The vet was fantastic and tried everything to save the leg but unfortunately couldn’ t. He was very frustrated. He put the biggest plate they could find in his hip— one designed for a Newfoundland, which is a huge dog— and Cliff snapped it in two. That didn’ t slow Cliff down, though. I have never seen a dog move that fast on just three legs. The stopping was always interesting, and Cliff usually went tumbling, but he got right back up, shook it off, and kept on running.
Cliff hated the heat and thunderstorms but loved having his belly rubbed and weather 30 degrees and under. I remember countless days I’ d wake up to freezing temperatures and would rush to the window to see him happily lounging in the grass, looking at me like,“ Hey, you should come out here and play, the weather is fabulous.” He disliked dog food but loved pizza and any human food he could con you out of. But most of all, he loved all of us. Good mood or bad, all he wanted from us was pets and to be near us. Now, I look out at the backyard and smile. I know Cliff has crossed the rainbow bridge and that the family members who have gone on before him are giving him all the pets and pizza he can stand.
If you have a four-( or three-) legged friend of your own, give them a big hug today and tell them that you love them. And if you happen to have one handy, slip them a piece of pizza and tell them“ That’ s from Cliff.”
30 | NW GEORGIA LIVING JULY / AUGUST 2025