Andouille Roux Fleming, also known as The Chestnut Wonder, Boy of Joy, Dewey, and Wee.

Andouille’s greatest strengths were unexpected and oblique; being a short, cute Dachshund melted defenses and opened up space for him to be himself. He befriended everyone from big dogs and handsy toddlers to crows, rabbits, squirrels, and random strangers. No other dog made people babble and coo quite like this. Countless people stopped to tell us how cute he was. Crossing the busy street near our place was easy, as he could literally stop traffic.

We’ll never know how Andouille grew into the dog that landed in the shelter at the end of 2017, ten years old, intact, with a hernia and a mouthful of neglected teeth. (He was abandoned in a crate with his toys and a note that declared he was a “really good companion.”) Despite the life disruption and ailments, his bright spark shone. Once guided back to good health, he would grab anything with that toothless mouth — squeaky toys, balls, sticks and rocks in a riverbed. He was a dog’s dog, utterly without guile, a true companion, a bottomless font of joy. Even this fall, with cancer beginning to creep through his body, Andouille led with that same lust for life — his spark remained, and he fought hard to stay with us even as his GI and respiratory systems slowly gave out. Slowly, and then all of a sudden.

Our time here is brief. Enjoy every sandwich. Or in Andouille’s case, every meal, every treat, every moment of warm bliss curled up next to each other. We are grateful he found his way to our home, and so blessed to have him in our lives, now and always. Good night, little brother to Chauncey and Lady Bug. Peace be with you.