Sad Summer News For The Krzyzewskis

That whole thing about dogs being man’s best friend? It goes back a ways. This was carved on a Roman tomb for a dog named Patricus: “My eyes were wet with tears, our little dog, when I bore thee to the grave ... So, Patricus, never again shall thou give me a thousand kisses, Never canst thou be contentedly in my lap. In sadness have I buried thee, and thou deservist. In a resting place of marble, I have put thee for all time by the side of my shade. In thy qualities, sagacious thou wert like a human being. Ah, me! What a loved companion have we lost!”

The translation might be a bit overwrought but you get the idea. Dogs are just the best and the only bad thing about them is their relatively short lives.

All dog lovers go through that loss eventually, as the Krzyzewskis of Durham did this summer as their pooch, Blue, passed away.

Apparently he had cancer and died at home, in Coach K’s arms. He had this to say about losing his four-legged bud: “That’s a bummer,” Krzyzewski said Wednesday. “Blue passed away. He was my buddy. And for any of you who have pets, you know how that is...[A week after his cancer diagnosis] he died in my arms at my house. Sad. He’s a good guy. Really good guy.”

Perhaps not as eloquent as our forlorn Roman, but also heartfelt.