It is with a terribly heavy heart that I announce the passing of my beloved dog, George.
George has been the face of BlackDog since the very beginning. He was the inspiration behind Black Dog Brewing Company, and our first in-house beer, Inaugural Ale. He was a faithful companion; by my side when I moved back to San Diego from Atlanta, when I bought my first house, and of course at the start of BlackDog Farm & Orchard.
George was born June 19, 2012, and passed August 6, 2024 at the ripe old age of 12.
When he was about 13 weeks old, he jumped off of a high second floor balcony, and broke his leg. My wonderful cousin Pamela was a vet tech at the time, and she was able to help us get him the surgery he needed to put a pin in his leg. Ever since then, he’d stand with one foot (his right) push forward and turned outward slightly, like a dancer holding a pose. He was a happy boy, and that slightly silly pose made him look all the happier.
George came back to California with me from Atlanta in 2013, when he was nearly a year old. He learned to play fetch in Roswell, GA. He learned to swim on Daytona Beach during a quick visit to Florida that just happened to be in the middle of Hurricane Isaac. He’s been with me nearly every day since then. Aside from the office, he’s ridden with me everywhere I’ve driven, and slept beside my bed… truly a constant companion. Life has changed shape significantly over the years, but George was always there. He helped raise and train three other puppies, and brought smiles to countless faces over the years. For years he was ball-crazy, would play catch for hours on end. As he got older, arthritis meant he’d rather lay down in the cool grass and eat a fresh orange that he’d just picked off a tree, or an apple, or a tomato. He wasn’t much of a farmhand, but he was great at picking produce!
While George is gone, he won’t be forgotten. BlackDog will continue on, with him and all of our other black dogs in mind. He will still be featured in much of our branding and merchandise, and I’ve got 7 years of backlogged farm content that George will definitely appear in… which is good, because it’s still impossible to believe he’s gone.
We love you George, and we miss you.
