Simon Bendrick-Clifford

December 1994-July 2008

Simon Bendrick-Clifford, aka “Boober,” went on to his great reward on July 15, 2008. He died peacefully, surrounded by family. He was nearly 14 years old and uncommonly handsome, even in his later years.

Simon was adopted in March of 1994 when he was eight weeks old from the Aspen Animal Shelter in Aspen, Colorado. His mother, Boise, was a long-lived purebred German Wirehaired Pointer owned by Cynthia Brown of Aspen. His father was, allegedly, a black lab.

He spent the first decade of his life in the West, exploring the backcountry of Aspen, Santa Fe and Telluride. His later years were spent in New England, where he fell in love with the deep woods of Vermont and the rocky shores of Maine.

During his 13-plus years, he had many adventures (the thickness of his vet file is testament to this), including:

• The summiting of two 14,000-foot peaks using non-traditional routes, aided only by kibble and water.

• He survived cancer, Lyme disease, car wrecks (2), raging rivers (he was pulled from Hunter Creek from by Mountain Rescue-Aspen), avalanches (rescued by Hal Clifford), beaver bites (the near-fatal bite required emergency surgery), dog fights (emergency surgery again), being chased by an entire pack of coyotes, poisoning (seizures induced by over-ripe deer guts) and numerous run-ins with porcupines (13), and skunks.

• In a “Lassie moment” he once saved his mother, Lou Bendrick, from a charging, irate horse at the Wind River Ranch in El Jebel Colorado.

• In Telluride, Colorado he became a certified “library” dog, where he sat patiently while children read stories to him. (His library privileges were later revoked when he barked at an impish provacateur).

• Like most dogs, Simon had a great love of the outdoors, games of tug, roast chicken nights, pizza crusts, chasing vermin of all kinds and eating putrid things found in the woods. He did not enjoy the vet’s office or any aspect of grooming. While he did occasionally nip, he was not a biter.

Although Simon was not a working dog — his job was to run, and to love life, and he excelled at it — he did accompany his human guardians to many places of work. At the Aspen Times he was known for his lunchtime thievery, but also much appreciated as the cat-box custodian. At Orion magazine, he was an asset to many staff meetings.

Boober is preceeded in death by two cats and his beloved uncle, Wallace Buell. He is survived by his human family, Hal, Lou Annie and Coulter,  as well as many close friends including Jeff Friday of Basalt, Colorado and Lisa Buell of Johnson, Vermont. He will be sorely missed by his canine companion Austin, an Australian Shepherd owned by Tara and Jason Miner of Southfield, MA.

The burial will be held at the home of his cousin, Lisa Buell, in Johnson, Vermont.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that you pat the soft head of the nearest dog and embrace every day joyfully and completely. That is what Simon always did, and what he asked of us.

No dog could have been loved more.