brandi isn't just a dog; she is a companion, my best friend, a way of life. she is the first thing on my mind when i wake, and the last thing attended to before going to sleep. having gotten her while in high school, she has seen the best and worst of my life, and has been there for me through all of its major rites: marraige, divorce, birth of a child, buying of a house. she listened to me crying over teenage woes, and laughed with me while rolling in the grass with my first-born. she has been there to guide, comfort and protect me through life in ways never expected. At 10 yrs old, she ran an armed intruder out of my house. a year and 6 states later, she woke my family in the middle of the night to alert us to the adjacent dwelling's fire, in time to save their animals trapped within. she is a little unobtrusive blonde dog, never weighing more than 30 pounds, with the heart of a champion. now 17 years old, her body no longer can care for her, and with my heart breaking every step of the way, i prepare myself for the duty of doing what is best for her. it was no easy decision, and is an even harder task to follow through on, but the only way i can truly return the love she has given me over the years is to ease the pain she now endures daily and take it into my heart. It will become mine to bear for her, the ultimate thank you for everything she has been and done. "Grief is the price you pay for love." No truer words were ever spoken.