Leo, the goodest boy, beach lover, ice cream enthusiast, basset sprinter, drool slinger, hater of car rides, incessant whiner, cheek blower, lap napper, spiteful anger pooper, picker outer of peas and carrots from chicken and rice bowls, one-time model, howler alonger to Sam Smith Christmas songs, perpetually undecided about whether he was coming inside or outer, brother to Peanut, and nana to Emmy, passed peacefully in his sleep in the morning one day shy of his 15th birthday. Despite heart problems, cancer, bloat scares, and losing his back legs twice, he went out like a champ in the comfort of his own bed at home, in the same exact position that he spent 22 out of 24 hours even on his best days. We know he’ll always be with us, both in our hearts and because his needle hair will furever be woven into every last textile we’ve ever owned until the end of time. With his last breaths, he left us one last giant drool puddle on the rug to remind us of the good times when we lived in midtown and Leo would do an iconic Basset shake and slime the backs of the super serious suits waiting to cross the street, or when we lived near a modeling agency in Gramercy Park and he would do the same to all the fancy models, or when we lived in California and –really, he would literally do that to everyone. We’ll also fondly remember every time he’d nuzzle his head against our legs exactly right as we were trying to leave the house and we’d have to go change our drool and hair-covered pants. He had a long wonderful life, filled with long walks through Central Park, and along Santa Monica Beach. He enjoyed lots of ice cream, stolen steaks, and this one time, a 3-lb bag of greenies (cue the explosive green diarrhea) his Basset nose led him to kitchen cabinets and to stranger’s backyard BBQs at his grandma’s lakehouse. Leo was our first baby, and we are so tahnkful he made it long enough to get to love Emmy. Rest in ease, sweet boy. We love you and ’till we meet again. <3
Leo, 2.26.2007 – 2.25.2022
