When we first found Zak he was more interested in a little cricket then he was with us. He chased it all over the floor. Finally Zak looked up and noticed us standing there, but only for a moment as if to say, "oh it's only you two." That's how it all began. My husband brought Zak home to me as a present. He scampered thru the kitchen of our first home and right over to me. I knew at that moment we were bonded for life. He literally became king of the castle. As Zak grew he became more and more playful and of course busy. He was a little jumper as most pomeranians are. He was a great doorbell too!! My husband and I took many road trips back and forth to our families with Zak riding with us in the front seat of course. He loved to look at all the cars going by. All you would have to say to him was ride ride in car car and he was by the back door waiting to go. We must have taken him to at least 15 states or more in his lifetime. Time passed and our daughter came along, and Zak was about six years old at the time. He grew to love her and of course she became his new buddy. I think he became a puppy all over again when our daughter was born. Zak loved to steal her toys and chase her around the house. Of course Zak endured many a tail pull or baby pinch, but never the less loved the attention. Last year (2003) right around October, we took a weekend trip to Arkansas and had noticed that Zak was drinking more water than usual. It was time for his annual rabies shot and so we decided to have some tests run to make sure he was ok. The vet had said that Zak had diabetes. It came on suddenly and his glucose was extremely high. The vet suggested our options, one of course was to give him 2 shots of insulin a day to get his blood sugar level under control and get him regulated. She said it would probably take 6 to 8 weeks with regular weekly visits until he would be at the correct dose. Our Zak hated getting shots of any kind and it was a traumatic experience everytime we went. Of course the vet was concerned that our daughter wouldn't get to rough with Zak also. We were planning another road trip to my husband's folks and wondered if we could still bring Zak. She said that would be just fine. He did well with few accidents and seemed as if nothing was wrong. Some days Zak would seem a little out of it, but we knew why. Finally when we had returned from our trip, we knew we had to make a decision. It was a very hard one at that. I knew Zak would not have wanted to get shots the rest of his life and so the only alternative I had left was to put him to sleep. The thought of that alone made tears stream down my face. I couldn't even imagine that possibility. After a week had passed, I knew I had to take that final step. We called the vet and made the appointment for Zak. His last day at home was as normal as possible except that I took many pictures and videos because I knew I wouldn't see him anymore. Finally the time came to drive him to the vet. When I called him and told him ride ride car car he was full of energy and wiggling from head to tail. He didn't know where he was going and I could hardly keep from crying. When we had arrived Zak thought it was just a routine visit until we went into a different room than we normally did. I held my boy through it all until the very last breath. He never closed his eyes, but it seemed he could see a place that was so beautiful that he knew everything would be alright. The moments following were so strange. I wanted to cry but somehow couldn't. There was a still quiet in the room and peace flooded the entire place. I knew the Lord had taken care of the rest. It was now my turn to let go. If was as if the Lord had said, Don't worry everything will be fine. Go home child and weep no more, because Zak is with me waiting for you. His last day with us was Monday March 15th, 2004. It has been a little over 3 months to the day and I miss Zak a lot. It's funny how I expect to see him in his favorite spots resting and taking his naps as he often did. Now he is follicking at Rainbow Bridge with the other puppies waiting for his family to return. The one thing I will always remember the most and that is his happy faces, and the many times he tipped his little head back and forth when you spoke to him. Of course he always wanted his special pets too!! Zak you will always be loved and missed by your family. See you again soon!!!! Love, Mommy-Daddy-and Baby Girl