Crisco

Our beloved Crisco – aka Crisco Mattson, Crisco Pico Train, Momma’s Good Boy, Good Boy, Buddy, My
Darling, Kitchen Supervisor and most recently Crisco Quinones, passed away peacefully on his favorite
spot of the couch July 8th, 2023. He was surrounded with love from his family after spending his final
morning lounging in the pool, enjoying a feast of bacon and eggs, McDonald’s hamburgers, fries, as well
as his favorite dog treats and listening to Papa play guitar for him.

Crisco was born August 6th, 2007 and was adopted into our home 2 months later. We always say that he
picked us to be his family since we had two dogs to choose from, but as we sat in the middle of the pen
with he and his brother, Crisco was the one that clambered over to us, climbing onto our lap. We knew
from that moment it was meant to be. On the way home, we went through the alphabet trying to think
of a fitting name for him. We only got as far as C when we came up with Crisco, since he looked like such
an adorable little butterball.

Over the years he grew strong and mischievous, overlooking his backyard kingdom with such pride and
ambition! Sitting at the top of the deck scanning his yard, he would fly down the stairs in pursuit of a
rabbit or a squirrel who dared cross his path. There was the time that he found a nest of newborn
bunnies under a bush on the side of the house, and he proudly brought them, one by one, to the patio
door. Through our horror, we could tell he did not mean to hurt them but was intrigued by his find and
wanted to keep them. There was the spring that he ate two rows of freshly planted cauliflower seedlings
and the following year, after putting up a fence to keep him out, got his paw and nail stuck trying to
reach in which required a trip to the vet to have his nail removed. After getting his paw stuck once again
the following year, he realized he had better set his sights elsewhere and never bothered the garden
again. There were a couple of camping trip attempts with him, but we quickly realized that he did not
understand the concept of it as he barked at anyone who walked by, surveying our campsite in much
the same way he did his backyard. He loved to swim! Any amount of water, whether it was the puddle
that formed in our backyard, or a lake where he could swim out and retrieve a ball or a stick, he was all
in. When he was 7, we had a new addition to our family, a little baby girl. He loved her visits and
watched her grow through the years, ever patient and kind.

As he grew older, his zest for life never wavered, nor did his love for food! He loved his daily walks on
the trail to sniff his favorite fence posts and eat a few blades of grass. As he grew weaker in his back
legs, we got creative and bought him shoes for his back paws and they worked like a charm, giving him
the ability for quite some time to enjoy his daily ritual. We got him a little swimming pool so he could
still enjoy the water and he loved climbing in and lounging as he overlooked his yard. As he continued to
weaken, he enjoyed more and more time on the couch, looking outside through the window and
hearing the birds and wildlife bustling outside. He spent endless hours lounging, watching true crime
shows and enjoying the peaceful comfort of sitting with his family, especially his sissy who always
rushed home to see him through the years after she left for college.

Though our pain of losing him feels enormously overwhelming now, we smile as we reminisce of a life
well lived. He will forever be in our hearts and conversations, and we look forward to seeing him again.