My dog passed away suddenly a few days ago. Needless to say my feelings are very raw. I still feel he is here with me. Today I drove past the dog park where we went every day and the tears welled up as I recalled our usual routine. I posted pictures on my Facebook page of him too. I am happy when I look at those pictures. He was my constant companion for nearly nine years. My entire schedule revolved around him mainly because he was a Rottweiler and Labrador mix, one hundred and twenty pounds and needed a lot of attention. Also living in a small apartment made it necessary to go out at least three times a day.

With his death I got to thinking about his life. I don’t want to go too deep in theory but instead I want to bring it to everyday events. I got him when he was six weeks old and he was meaningful to me because he was so loyal and loving. He was always happy to see me. Never judgmental or rude. He was happy just to be with me no matter what I was doing. He knew his job was to protect me and my family and he did it well. There is no one who could replace him. The every day work to maintain a big dog was hard at times but I had to do it because he needed me and I needed him.

I will always remember him and his big personality and courage and love. His death is a reminder that the life of a dog can be very short and we must remember to cherish our pets for as long as we have them.