When I was six years old my parents finally gave in to my pleas for a dog of my own.I was living in Grants Pass Oregon at the time,we had just moved there from Germany and I was lonely.I had a younger brother and sister but my mother was always pitting one against the other,so we never got along.I was robbed of having a brother or sister and both of my parents were cruel and distant.I was basically growing up alone.It didn't help that we moved a lot either.So my mom came home with this little black and white ball of fur wrapped in her jacket she had rescued from the local animal shelter.His mother was a border collie and his father was a black lab.Till this day I don't know where I came up with the name Ace, but that was what I named him.He was the "family" dog,but I knew he was for me and from that day on we were inseperable.I did't own him,he was an equal and the love we had was so stronge,it helped me cope with loneliness and depression I had.We eventually moved to Stockton CA when i was in the middle of first grade.I once again had to make new friends and learn about my new surroundings.Ace and I would go exploring and when people see that your with a dog (and Ace was so beautiful)they come up to pet him and you make an instant friend.I was shy as a child but now as an adult i am outgoing and adventurous.The sad part about this was that my parents were mean to Ace in many ways.They rarely allowed him in the house and were very slow to take him to the Vet. Their main concern was with money.So I paid for his check ups and anything else I could.I would sneak him into my room sometimes at night and he would sleep in bed with me,or in the summer I would camp out in the back yard to be with him.I made a promise to him that I would take him with me when I left.My family still regarded him as their belonging,but he was my best friend.I was very intelligent growing up,I was in all the exelerated classes and I am a very talented artist, but my parents really ignored me and my siblings were jealous so I only had Ave to read my reports to ,to critique my senior thesis.I moved out to live with a friend and then I joined the Navy to become an E.M.T. pay for college and get my degree in Art.It was while I was gone that Ace passed away.My dad took him to the vet to be put to sleep.He left his body there.I never got to say goodbye.I never got to barry him in the ground,or cremate his body to keep safe with me always,I never got to take him with me where he could always sleep indoors and be near me.I can still imagine the look on his face when he knew he was going to die,I know he must have looked for me.I know he might have felt alone.But if I could tell him anything ,I would tell him I love him more than anything in the world or beyond,I would say thank you for pulling me out of the river when I was 9 and couldn't swim.Thank you for being the only one in my life to truley save it.Thank you so much for loving me.I want to say I'm sorry I wasn't there for you .I didn't know.But most of all,thank you for still watching over me till this day.Because of you,I have dedicated my life to helping anomals in need and teaching people to be kind and loving.I love you so much and I will see you again someday,yes Ace,I'll bring a tennis ball...