Diesel Hartley

Diesel Hartley was a brindle boxer with a square jaw, a crooked white blaze, and exactly zero respect for personal space. He leaned, snored, and insisted on being included in every family photo whether invited or not. For thirteen years he served as porch sentinel, hiking partner, crumb inspector, and unofficial referee during backyard football games in Lexington. The neighborhood kids knew Diesel as the dog who looked tough and acted like a clown. He once carried an entire loaf of sandwich bread into the yard and sat on it like a dragon guarding treasure. In old age he moved slower, but his eyes still lit up at the sound of a car door and the word walk. He was loyal in the old-fashioned way, all heart and no half-measures.