This past Sunday August 27, 2017, I buried my friend, Oso. It was a very, very sad day for me and all of us who loved him. He was the gentle giant German Shepherd at the winery where he grew up and spent his life in the freedom of the vineyard.

I was on a hike with both Oso and Dante and stopped to meet someone. Oso was injured and we took him to the hospital in Newhall, where the vet informed me he was paralyzed and would not survive an operation, and even if he did, he wouldn’t be able to function.

I am grateful for having had him for 13 years, he was my hiking buddy all these years. Sometimes in the middle of a stressful day, when I was overwhelmed, I would come out of the house and hang out with him for a little while, and before I knew it, the stress was gone. He was my companion and my friend, I will always remember him. His painting will be permanently displayed in the tasting room, as it has for a few years now. Goodbye old friend, I will always have fond memories of you.  It’s just you and me now Dante!

Robert Reyes