Edward Van Webb Burnett

Steve and I got Edward when we lived together at Tahoe. He was a tiny baby when we brought him home. He was a lively Beagle, full of personality, and very smart. He loved going to the lake. I'd walk him down to the lake every morning and as we approached it, I'd unhook his leash. He'd spot the ducks and take off on a mad dash. he chased those ducks all around the lake every morning. He never caught one, but he never gave up trying!

After Dad died, we moved into his house. Ed loved having a backyard to play in. And he loved having a big brother, Charlie (my Dad's Bassett Hound) to play with. Ed especially loved to play fetch. He never tired of it. We used to spend a lot of time sitting on the sundeck at night. Ed would bring us a tennis ball and we'd throw it out into the yard. He would bring it back and drop it at our feet. If one of us didn't throw it again in the next 15 seconds, all hell would would break loose! We learned fast to throw the ball, and spent hours playing fetch with a dog that would never wear out.

Ed was a fast learner and very smart. Besides playing fetch, he could shake, roll over and sit on command. I had a small fence around my garden, about 3 feet high. I taught Ed how to jump over it. I was amazed at how fast he learned. I didn't realize that that wasn't a good trick for a dog. He quickly started using his jumping skills to jump over the chain link fence that surrounded the yard. In fact, he would visit the neighbors (4 houses down) daily! He jumped over the fences of each yard, but always returned before we got home from work.

One day while he was staying with Steve's Mom, he jumped her fence and was never heard from again. I'm sure he got lost once he was out on his own, and I still blame myself for ever teaching him how to jump. Hopefully he landed in someone's yard that took good care of him for the rest of his life.