It pains me to write this.  Gus is gone. Recently, he'd been feeling great, firing through the woods, having fun all day long.  Wednesday was no different.  That morning, he disappeared off in the woods barking and chasing critters as usual, but he just never came back.  We've searched all over and asked neighbors.  No sign of him.  This is exactly the way our beloved Abby left us several years ago.  She was elderly, though, so we expect she just went off somewhere and quietly died.  Gus was 10 years old, which is not "elderly" for a dachshund, but it is not out of the realm of potentially having a fatal heart problem.  Even though he seemed fine, he could have had a sudden event.  My wife was outside all day, and she never heard him even whimper.  My hope is that he just died suddenly and peacefully.  It's doubtful anyone would have taken him because we're so remote, the only people with whom he'd even come in contact would have notified us.  We're not near any roads, so being hit by a car is ruled out.  Of course he could have lost a fight with a critter, but that's unlikely as the rest of the pack (Bonnie, Mercy, and Pip) weren't distressed in the least---when there's a critter encounter, everyone attends.  The fact that none of the pack seemed distressed actually comforts me.  It probably means they know he's gone (i.e. they know where his body is), and since dogs live in the moment, they're content with that.  However, we humans don't handle such a loss so easily. So please just remember us in this difficult time.  I miss Gus terribly.  No one could ever replace him. Click here to discuss this topic.