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Nabucco Obit ... Nabucco Nabucco was born on December 23, 1991 in Franklin, Wisconsin at the home of Marie Adams, breeder of Saluki's. He was a Black Tan & White Saluki. His AKC registration number was HM388966/07. His father was The Aerie's Notorius (AKC # HD787676) and his mother was The Aerie-Lightning of Khaliq (AKC # HD420665). |
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Nabucco came to live with me when he was 10 weeks old. I was still the priest at The Church of St. Anne, Morrison, IL. His first outing was with "Uncle Les" to buy a 'shake-it-up'. He never totally destroyed that toy, although others came and went. His face was like that of a winged angel and his personality close to the egotism of Nebuchadnezzar in the Old Testament Book of Daniel. I named him Nabucco because Verdi wrote an opera about Nebuchadnezzar using the Italian name Nabucco. He lived up to the name when he would sit in the church watching me work. He would sit on the Oriental carpet on the top step of the High Altar, back to the Tabernacle, paws hanging over the step, with the look on his face: "Worship Me!" I always thought he was a true follower of Islam. The Muslims say that Allah "kissed the Saluki" right above the eyes. Nabucco had those marks. At a year & a half old he came with me to St. Paul's Church by-the-Lake in the Rogers Park neighborhood of Chicago. He had even more fenced yards to run in. He always missed Uncle Les, who was his primary baby sitter when Father had to be away. In Rogers Park he forced me to put up signs that say "Beware of Dog" because he would put his head through the wrought iron fence and snap at people. He loved other dogs and ran along the fence when they would walk by. His vet was Dr. Cynthia Dobner who took excellent care of him. He had only one major health problem before death, and that was the removal of a benign tumor from his bladder when he was 9 years old. During his 12th year he began slowing down and having more difficulty climbing all the stairs in the church and rectory. He slept in my bedroom until the last 6 months when he would no longer climb the stairs. He was also a bit overweight, because so many people at church were ready to feed him; at least most made it carrots. He was honorary Altar Guild, helping Joe in the Sacristy after Daily Mass. Beginning Thursday December 4th he stopped eating or getting up for anything other than going outside to do his business. On Monday December 8, 2003 the x-rays, blood work and ultra sound showed that he had Liver Cancer. With chemotherapy he might have lived six more months. With winter coming I decided it was just too much and opted for euthanasia. I was there with his paws and head in my lap when they injected him. He died at 2:50pm knowing I was there and seeing me. He just quietly put his head down on my lap and then there was no life in those eyes anymore. He knew his dad loved him. He had a wonderful 12 years of life, which is good for a Saluki. He was one of the best dogs I have ever had and probably the longest to be with me. From the 1st night in St. Paul's Rectory, Nabucco has been with me whenever I was home, until his death on Dec. 8, 2003. I thank each of you who made his life at St. Anne's or St. Paul's a blessed experience. He loved just about everyone, especially if you had food. He showed us the simple love of God. Pets teach us to be kinder to each other as Human beings. I thank my God for Nabucco. Faithfully,
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