by Dad's Tribute
We lost our beloved dog 2 years ago. We are the type of folks who love completely in life, and much of that is due to the fact that our golden retriever became part of it. We owe so much to that dog, including the fact that our son is still here to hug us today.
We still grieve. We find ourselves at times becoming silent within hard repressed tears. Times where a conversation about past events include him...and coincidentally mutual glance at portraits...and there are very few times and memories... and portraits...that doesn't include him. He raised us as a family, and practiced the lessons that made us stronger as a family. Everything was a game...of trust and play. From the patience of letting my daughter "dress" him up, hours at a time, in stuff including hair bands that made his ears stand at odd angles, to bath time soap suds that he would grudgingly allow to stay in place long enough for pics....and the tail that never stopped for anything, anyone, or any other animal. He made friends with all from squirrels to neighborhood stray cats that we found, on many occasion, sleeping side by side with him in the yard. He was a thief. A collector of tennis balls and hearts. We have yet to find the courage to raise another. There can be no other we realize. Only another that perhaps might give as much...but perhaps will only remind.