Gregory T: He supported a member of The Greatest Generation and was treasured in return
Gregory T.
Gregory T. came to the Thulani Program when his companion and guardian, Bob Goodwin, passed away recently at the age of 89. Bob and Gregory T. had been inseparable for more than six years, a bond that grew out of an incredible story.
Bob Goodwin enlisted in the Army during WWII, at the age of 17, and was shipped to the Burma theater. He and his squad were engaged in nearly daily combat for long periods of time. At some point during the war, Bob acquired a Belgian Malinois that quickly became not only the squad mascot, but also a valuable security partner. This dog provided Bob with companionship and comfort during this very difficult period of his life. Tragically, the dog was killed shortly before Bob returned to the states.
Bob survived horrible combat and a near-fatal bout with malaria, and returned having earned three Bronze Stars and Two Purple Hearts. Bob was clearly one of The Greatest Generation.
Bob’s grandson Tom reports that roughly seven years ago “my grandfather went to the San Mateo SPCA to look for a dog to adopt. He specifically asked to see the dogs that weren’t up for adoption, and in his exact words (which I heard him say many times retelling the story), he asked them to ‘show me the dogs that nobody wants.’ He was immediately smitten by Gregory, as his features were very reminiscent of the Mal he had overseas, and who guarded and supported him during the most difficult time in his life. Gregory was like a son to him, and grandpa would take him absolutely everywhere he went, and Gregory, like the dog he had overseas, was his constant companion and provided him with much emotional support during the last several years of his life.”
We are all saddened by Bob’s passing, and in a small token to the huge debt we Americans owe him and his generation, we will make the rest of Gregory T’s life as good as we possibly can.
Thank you Bob and your unknown combat partner, we all owe you. Rest in Peace with the full knowledge that Gregory T. will be taken care of. And thank you Tom for your work to make sure that happens.
I am graced to be Greg’s foster. What a handsome, well raised dog. Thank you, Mr. Goodwin.
There’s no question Greg qualifies as a Thulani dog. He’s twelve years old and there’s something minor going on with his back left leg. However, the day before he was to come to me, Bob Jachens noticed a hard flat lump at the top of Greg’s chest about the size of a pancake. A trip to see Dave Roos, DVM, at Adobe Hospital in Los Altos, and some guided decision making, plus some begging on my part, and now Greg is free of a malignant thyroid tumor the size of a human heart. It came out clean as a pit from a freestone peach, and the incision is healing nicely. Greg didn’t know he was sick before, he just didn’t want his food sometimes. Otherwise, he was a happy dog, full of vim, vigor, vitality, and hunger.
Greg’s age is documented, so he absolutely is old; you’d never know it. So many people who meet him on his walks assume he’s a puppy. He’s jubilant, joyous, not at all geriatric. He’s never seen another dog he doesn’t want to meet, his tail windmilling, his face full of bonhomie. He’s eating voraciously now, almost licking the finish off his food bowl, and beginning to put back on the pounds he lost over the last year. He’s still full of vim, vigor, and vitality, and hungrier than ever. He’s the second best dog I’ve ever known, and the best Thulani anyone could ask for. (Yes, I’m selfish; after two labor intensive Thulanis, I was ready for a Greg.) Thank you Mr. Goodwin, Bob Jachens, Dave Roos, and all the donors who made the surgery possible. Greg is more than a gift to everyone who meets him, and especially to his foster.
A thank you to you too, AnnLining, for taking care of Greg. Thulani fosters are very special folks.
Having read Ceasar’s and Stella’s tributes, I must add Greg’s role as an ambassador for the Thulani program. Most people think I’m brave for being a foster and thank me. But, the best result is that some few want to look into it and become fosters themselves. Not all of us fosters automatically have a
Greg. Peggy and June, as much help as they required from day one, were as deserving of my help as the VFTD Greg will be as he enters his last months. There are those who still inquire about black Peggy T., after these sixteen months of not seeing her. No matter what the dog’s particular need is, every Thulani dog is special, especially to her/his foster person. So say I, and so say we all.