Life's a Tripp (In Loving Memory of My Best Friend) Tripperson 12/16/16 - 4/27/22

Tripp was born to June-Bug and Dennis-Earl in a small town of Trinity County, December 16th 2016. I met him when he was two weeks old, and visited frequently until taking him home with me at the age of eight weeks. It is painful for me to inform our friends and family about this, but Tripp passed after a work related accident on April 27th, 2022. He became caught under the back dual tires of a big diesel truck I was driving, and it punctured his lungs.. We rushed to the veterinary hospital as fast as we could, but he died on the way.

Tripp died in my arms, raising his head to eye level with me one last time while struggling to take his last breath. He looked at me with pure love as if to say goodbye. He didn't seem to be scared or suffering very much. I think he knew we were rushing to help him, but judging by how fast it happened, he may have been ready or at least willing to let go. I don't believe he even made it into the vet, instead breaking through the doors of perception into whatever form his energy has taken now.

Tripp was an amazing dog; independent, a good listener still with a mind and will of his own, who always loved seeing new things and places, and was friendly with all animals. He grew up around a lot of other pets, and has even been witnessed playing with a wild skunk. Tripp leaves behind myself and my girlfriend, her cat Sasha, my Mom's dog Ruby, Step-Dad's dog Ziggy, our whole family, and many other's who he made friends with during his lifetime. Tripp was bright, he loved to live fast and see new things every moment he could.

Tripp was not very treat motivated, but he loved steak and also understood that I only fed him food that would not hurt him. We protected each other, he was always there paying attention and alerting me of any noises or people I should be concerned about. Tripp's senses were extraordinary, and I learned to trust him over the years as he would often surprise me with the things he noticed. It was sometimes hard learning how to teach him what not to do, but really he had one of the best lives a dog could have.

We would frequently visit dog parks and beaches almost daily for his entire life, and Tripp went with me nearly everywhere. He loved our truck as if it were his true home, and people would always point out how good he looked sitting with his arm on the arm rest. Whenever I opened the door to go outside he would go straight to the truck, because he knew that's how we got to the beach. I think he understood when the truck was broken down, how I would be sitting there working on it and then happy too when we could drive again.

People would point him out almost daily, asking what kind of dog he is and saying he looks like he could be something else like a Muppet or Falcore from the Never Ending Story. I personally liked to think of him as a Space Yhetti. Once a woman stopped in the middle of the road, put her car in reverse and told me "That dogs a star!" I completely agree and tried every chance I could to get good footage of him, but for whatever reason Tripp really seemed to avoid being filmed on top of just being so shiny.

Tripp was half Australian Shepherd and half (was told Fox or potentially) Tibetan Terrier; a very smart and unique looking dog with personable characteristics. We didn't have sheep or cattle for him to heard, so I let him know that his job was to make people happy. Tripp was perfect for his job as everywhere we would go, lots of people would undoubtedly become happy after seeing him. Every once in a while, someone will approach me asking how Tripp's doing and sharing their story about how they met him at the beach or park.

I know Tripp touched many lives while he was with us. I want to remember him for all of the pure spunk and happiness he carried with him everywhere. Tripp was communicable, friendly and diplomatic, teaching puppies how to play and smelling dogs, yet also he did what he wanted which sometimes included literally tripping people. After everything I realize that Tripp was happy. I didn't have to work hard to train him, he was just cool to be around and very polite. Once he knew the boundaries, he could be trusted to respect them.

I would jokingly say that 70% of my attention was always on him, or that we were training to travel together. After all I named him Tripp because that was my promise to him; that we would travel. He did get to see a small portion of the US, and lots of California, but now I will be bringing bits of his ashes with me as I continue on to fulfill our promise. I think Tripp was actually training me in many ways, and just enjoying himself in the process, because now that he's gone I see how he taught me so much and fulfilled his purpose in life.

On his third birthday, we were in the High Desert of California where I was playing him a birthday song on the ChulaMent. He ran up to me with a 'lucky rabbits foot' in his mouth, so I boiled it in soapy water, soaked it in alcohol for a couple nights, cleaned it then stored it in salt for two years. Nearly a week ago now, I finally pulled the foot out of it's jar and attached it to my key ring. It was really Tripp's lucky rabbits foot, and unfortunately the first day I brought it out into the world with us is the day we suffered his accident.

Tripp even introduced me to the friend who ended up driving us to the vet. Years ago we met at the pump station when Tripp ran up to him to say hi. Neither of us expected that after that meeting we would end up here now. Life's truly a trip because we never know what will happen next. One day we're just doing what we do, and then suddenly everything changes. Yet, the moment I was told Tripp had passed, it was the friend he introduced me to that handed me my hat with Tripp's lucky rabbits foot inside of it.

I'm still very much in shock, I've had to clean up Tripp's stuff and contact his immediate family and friends. I've started writing a memoir of all the memories we have together, in a linear fashion, which I will consider making available when finished. I'm composing a folder of all the media I have with him, and I'm planning to see my grandparents in the desert soon so that I can spread his ashes at one of his favorite rock formations. Donations to help me travel with Tripp are being accepted, but we've already covered the cremation costs.

I will be able to produce a few tributes with the amount of pictures and video I have, including a lot of great shots of him running around said rock formations. And we will be planning a ceremony at Moonstone Beach in the near future. I will be sure to invite everyone that I can remember who will want to be there, but please do reach out if you're interested in being included or sharing any thoughts/memories about Tripp. It's not easy for me to remember everyone right now, as I am processing and working to move forward.

Remember to tell your close people you love them, and take care while we are still here. Tripp would want all of us to form a group together and run out into the woods to a place where we didn't need leashes or cell phones. Tripp would want us to put down our phones, most likely to find the next best rock to pee on. I will continue to dedicate my life to purpose, and I will be learning a song to tribute to Tripp on guitar during our ceremony. I hope I never forget those beautiful bright light blue eyes, and I will miss having him with me everyday.

Playlist for Tripp (12/16/16 - 4/27/22) May He Rest in the Power of Peace in Paradise

I know this will be hard for not only myself, please contact me if you need to talk, thanks..

Anthony DeLuca

1(707)834-3096

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This obituary was written by Anthony DeLuca of AnthonyJosephDeLuca.com, and donated to be shared on RhapsodicGlobal.org.