The Friday Brief, June 26, 2026
RIP Jilly Wilson
Inside
RIP Jilly Wilson
Please Clap
MAGA’s Hot Dog Men
Don’t Let The Door Hit You On The Ass, Tulsi
Scoreboard
Mark Zuckerberg’s Panopticon
Blind Item
SETEC ASTRONOMY
What I’m Reading
Scenes from the Home Front
RIP Jilly Wilson
We lost Jilly yesterday.
She’d been part of our family for 14 years, a remarkable run for a big dog like a German Shorthair Pointer. She fell in the garage on Thursday morning, coming in from her first outing of the day. For a long beat, I couldn’t get her to move at all. When she came to, her back end was shot, she could barely walk, and I was sure she’d broken something.
Within a few minutes, it was clear that it wasn’t a broken bone, and we raced to the vet.
When they took her back for bloodwork, she collapsed again, her heart failing.
The decision was made.
The strokes and the syncopes were only going to get worse, and her quality of life was no longer a possibility. We sat on the floor with her, feeding her cheese and treats, a last charcuterie raid for a dog famous for her charcuterie raids, and loved on her while the vet did the last kindness. We were next to her when she went, softly and quietly, held by the people she loved and who loved her.
We all know this is part of the deal. They love us without condition, and we get them for the briefest moment. Jilly had a phenomenal life in this family, and she brought love to the kids and everyone who knew her from the second she crossed the threshold. We were so touched today by the comments, calls, and messages from friends who loved her as much as we did, even though many of the stories involved stolen food.
Every dog is a good dog, but she was exceptional.
An amazing bird dog, she was a fierce huntress with astounding prey drive. A cuddler of the highest order, big as she was. An Ocean’s 11-level food thief. She loved swimming in the pool, and too often, the pond. A ninja who’d creep into any bed, couch, or chair for warmth or a snuggle. When Renee moved in a few years ago, Jilly took to her at once and was rarely more than a step behind her.
As her age crept in, we knew this day was close. At last year’s checkup, they told us another year was possible, but more than that might be cruel. So we gave her the best final year we could, and we like to think she enjoyed it.
Jane, her companion GSP, is devastated.
Rarely more than a few feet from Jilly her whole life, Jane wanders the house now with a lost look, searching for her best friend, and it is the most heartbreaking thing in the world to watch. We’re remembering our dear, beloved friend Jilly, and so is she.
I hope Jilly is on point now in a field thick with quail, the autumn air crisp and the sky a sharp, deep blue, the wind carrying scent for miles, knowing she’s working at the thing she loves and that she’s loved for being the best girl.
And if there’s a paradise like that, I hope I see her there.
