"If tears could build a stairway,
And memories a lane,
I'd walk right up to Heaven
And bring you home again..."

I remember when I was 6, we went to a farm to look at puppies. You followed me around everywhere... but the lady said someone had already bought you, so we kept looking for a puppy. Then one day the lady called to let us know the people who had bought you, wouldn't finish their payments, so they had gone back to get you, and that if we wanted you were ours. Your name was "Amber", but I'd always wanted a dog like the one from Lassie... so being 6 and obsessed with that show and that dog, your name quickly went from "Amber" to "Lassie". You were supposed to be the family dog but it became pretty obvious pretty quick that you were MY dog. You always protected me, even when it was just me and dad or grandma, sometimes even just a friend, goofing off. You always kept the cats in the house and would bring them back in when they got out, and you'd separate them when they fought. Anytime someone who wasn't supposed to be here was here, you let us know. Even the one time the front door was accidentally left open... you made sure we knew.

And even as your hips grew so weak you had trouble getting up and down, you would still follow me to the bathroom and push your way in. You'd follow me into the kitchen every time, hoping I'd drop something. Every time I went up the stairs, you'd slowly follow, waiting for me no matter where I went. At night, even if you didn't go to bed with me at first, if I woke up in the middle of the night and looked at my door, you were there. And if you weren't there you were lying in the hall, flopped on your back with your paws in the air. Sometimes you'd even use the little stool for you beside my bed to get up, because it was too hard for you to just jump up. And every time I'd come home... you'd always be lying by the front door waiting for me.

I used to always complain about your barking... but now every time I hear the garbage truck, or fire works, the dog across the street, or the fire alarm in our house go off... I'm going to wish you were there, annoying me with your high pitched bark.

And I wish that after I finish writing this, I'll go back downstairs to sit on the living room floor, and you'll come squeeze between me and the couch just to lie beside me.

Last of all, I wish it would stop hurting.

Rest in peace Lassie... we love you, and no dog will ever take your place. You were one of a kind, you WERE the "once in a lifetime" dog.

I'm going to miss calling your name and a moment later hearing you get up from where you are to come to me. I'll miss the comfort of having you there on the windy and stormy nights. I'll miss you howling at the sound of ambulances and the ice cream truck. I'll miss whistling to get you to come to me. I'll miss you drooling on my laptop screen. I'll miss rubbing that soft spot between your eyes. I'll miss you walking across my laptop screen. I'll miss how I knew if I left food alone around you, no matter how bad you wanted to, you wouldn't touch it unless I told you to. I'll miss getting you to shake a paw. I'll miss getting you to roll over. I'll miss pretending to shoot you, and you playing dead. I'll miss you licking my feet, even though it was gross and you knew you weren't supposed to. I'll miss the sound of you out in the backyard from my room. I'll miss you bolting from the back door to the back fence because you're convinced someone's trying to break into your yard. I'll miss opening my bedroom door whenever I've closed it, to you sitting right in front of it, waiting for me. I'll miss scratching your ears. I'll miss you following me into the bathroom every morning while I get ready for school. I'll miss you barking at the garbage truck. I'll miss you lying by the front door. I'll miss you constantly moving around the house. I'll miss you coming and sitting on my homework because I was paying more attention to it than you. I'll miss you plopping yourself between me and the cat, because I should being attention to you instead. I'll miss you always asking to go outside. I'll miss coming home to you greeting me at the door, then bugging me until I let you out... just because you know you can. I'll miss you following me to the bathroom, even though I'll be back right away. I'll miss you pushing the bathroom door open. I'll miss your nose. I'll miss the sound of you moving around upstairs while I'm doing laundry. I'll miss the comfort of knowing I'm safe, because you'd die for me. I'll miss you waking me up and making me lift you onto my bed when it's windy, because the wind scares you. I'll miss you waiting for me to finish dinner so you can lick my bowl. I'll miss simply always sharing food with you, no matter what it is I'm eating. I'll miss how you feel, and how much you smelled like old dog. I'll miss waking up and seeing you in my doorway, or in my hallway. I'll miss filling your bowl. I'll miss you ripping open your presents every Christmas. I'll miss every little thing about you and every little thing you did. I'll even miss your barking. I miss you... and I'd do anything if we could have you again, just for another day. For you, this list will forever be a work in progress, because even the smallest of things will be missed... already are missed.
 

"They will not go quietly,
the dogs who share our lives
In subtle ways they let us know,
their spirit still survives
Old habits still make us think
we hear a bark at the door,
or step back when we
drop a tasty morsel on the floor.
Our feet still go around the place
the food dish used to be,
and sometimes, coming home at night,
we miss them terribly
And although time may bring new friends
and a new food dish to fill,
that one place in our hearts belongs to them...
and always will."

Gabrielle M

"Angel"

My Little Girl

October 1, 1995 - October 3, 2009
14 years old

God saw you getting tired

And a cure was not to be.

So He put His arms around you

And whispered, "Come to me."

A golden heart stopped beating

Hard working hands at rest.

God broke our hearts to prove to us

He only takes the best.

~Author Unknown~

                                              -Vic

My Bonni Lass

"Bonni"

January 31, 1995 - October 30, 2006

She will live in our hearts forever...
Jill & Family