When he came over to our house, it was supposed to be a trial to see how he did with us. He never left. He brought his favorite toy from his foster house: a rock that was bigger than his head.

Taz was the sweetest dog I've ever known. He loved swimming and diving for rocks at the creek, chasing after large pieces of driftwood at the beach, and it was almost impossible to get him out of the water.

His favorite toy was a clear rubber ball with a red squeaker inside. His least favorite toy was the squeaky pig. He thought we were hurting it when we squeaked it, so he would bark at us to stop, and he carried it gingerly by the foot or the ear so as not to squeak it.

Taz loved car rides. His favorite word was "go," especially when used in the question, "Do you want to go?" He understood that if we were in the car next to a building, and the windows were rolled down, we were getting treats. More specifically, he would be getting treats. He almost climbed out of the car window and into the Dutch Bros stand once.

On days I would take him to work with me, we would spend lunch at the dog park. He would play fetch with tennis balls for nearly the whole lunch hour. He also loved beating other dogs to the balls their owners had thrown for them. He was an only child and not great at sharing. He also got mad at other dogs that were trying to splash water out of the doggy pool and would make them stop, then stand guard for a while.

I think he could smell if there was water near. One time we were at a park for a graduation picnic. I didn't know there was a creek at the park, but Taz knew right away. I was taking him for a walk along the trees, when he started pulling, dragging me along behind him like he did when we were at the beach. Suddenly we broke through the trees and came upon a small bridge and a creek. He taught another dog to swim and enjoy the water that day. And a photography student asked if she could take pictures of him because he looked so happy.

Taz slept on my bed with me till his body wouldn't let him climb up there anymore. Then he slept on his own bed right next to mine. If I moved around the house, he followed. There was never a time when he wasn't as close to me as he could get. Even towards the end when he could no longer lay down on the hardwood floors in the kitchen because he couldn't get back up on his own, he would lay on the carpet right by the kitchen so he could see me.

Taz was the most precious thing in my life. My world will not be the same without him.