by Caren Belcastro
The hardest thing I had to do was say "Goodbye" to you yesterday. As you lay there, looking at me with your big brown eyes, all I could say was "Thank You". Thank you for spending your life with me, for being my friend. For your unconditional love and your sloppy kisses. For that goofy smile you always seemed to be wearing. For the muddy footprints that decorated my clothes because no matter how big you got, you still wanted to sit on my lap.
I remember how you wouldn't let go of me once you found me. You seemed to be saying "you're mine and I'm going home with you" and you wouldn't take no for an answer. Daddy and I brought you home and you so quickly solidified our family. I remember your first snow storm, how you bounced thru the snow. I thought you must have some jack rabbit in you. How you 'helped' me make a snowman (you kept running away with the sticks I picked up for his arms) and how that night, you barked and barked, and when we turned on the lights to see what intruder was lurking in our yard, your stood there growling at our snowman.
I remember your love for other animals and how our cats loved to lay all over you. And how you loved skunks and got so mad at them for not wanting to play with you. Someone told me tomato juice gets the odor from the skunk spray off of furyou walked around with pink fur for weeks!
I look out into our yard now and see your ball or your waterbowl or your favorite place to lie, and I cry. And I hope that you are in a better place where you are no longer in pain. Where there is someone to love you and scratch you behind your ears so you make that growling purring noise I love so much.
Thank you HobbitGoodbye HobbitI love you.