"Sunny and Me"
Back in early 2002 I was living alone. I finally had the opportunity to live out a childhood dream and get a dog. Because I was alone, my needs were specific, I needed a mature dog without separation anxiety, housebroken and could be alone for 10 hours a day. I went online and found The Little Shelter an animal rescue in Huntington, Long Island. I took a ride out there Saturday of Memorial Day weekend not really thinking that anything would come of my visit. As I walked through the rows of cages and pens and barking dogs, my eyes became fixated on a mellow, medium size, adult, Shepard Golden mix. I was told that she was about 7 years old and most people passed on her because of her age. Turned out she fulfilled all of my requirements and came from a home that was going through a divorce and they were forced to give her up. I thought "what a perfect match", and I went through the screening process and came back Sunday and we "adopted" each other. I named her Sunny, hoping that we could bring sunshine into each other's lives. The bond was instant, Sunny was always within 5 feet of me where ever I was in the house. She sat by my feet at the kitchen table, laid on the bath mat when I took a shower and slept in her bed next to me every night. She waited patiently by the front door whenever I was out and greeted me as soon as I came home. Every Saturday she would jump into the back of my Landcruiser, I would open the windows and we would drive all over town to the cleaners, post office, bank and the sometimes stop off on the way home and share a vanilla ice cream cone. In 2004 she developed cancer and had a tumor removed from her neck, but she rebounded stronger than ever. In December 2004 I remarried and my wife brought a West Highland Terrier named Lucky into the marriage. Sunny and Lucky hit it off and became instant loving step sisters. We had 5 children between us and everyone got along great with each other and the dogs. Over the past 2 weeks Sunny had started to deteriorate. She could hardly climb the steps, lost her appetite and wouldn't even snack on her favorite treats of milkbone biscuits with peanut butter or cream cheese. I took her to the vet, she medicated her, but there was not much of an improvement. I had to take her in the hospital Thursday because it didn't appear that there was much more that I could do. This morning I received the call that I was dreading and Sunny's time had come. As hard as the decision was, it was the only decision that could have been made by sending Sunny to a comfortable and peaceful place. My wife and I drove to the vet to oversee the procedure and say our final goodbyes from us and our 5 children. I promised Sunny that in my next go around, I would find her again and we would be reunited. If you are thinking of getting a pet, please consider adoption. I promise you that it will be the best and happiest decision you will ever have made and most of all you can bring sunshine to your pet and all the lives she touches. Sunny, rest in peace, we will all miss you.
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"Sunny and Me" Back in early 2002 I was living alone. I finally had the opportunity to live out a childhood dream and get a dog. Because I was alone, my needs were specific, I needed a mature dog without separation anxiety, housebroken and could be alone for 10 hours a day. I went online and found Little Shelter and animal rescue in Huntington, Long Island. I took a ride out there Saturday of Memorial Day weekend not really thinking that anything would come of my visit. As I walked through the rows of cages and pens and barking dogs, my eyes became fixated on a mellow, medium size, adult, Shepard Golden mix. I was told that she was about 7 years old and most people passed on her because of her age. Turned out she fulfilled all of my requirements and came from a home that was going through a divorce and they were forced to give her up. I thought "what a perfect match", and I went through the screening process and came back Sunday and we "adopted" each other. I named her Sunny, hoping that we could bring sunshine into each other's lives. The bond was instant, Sunny was always within 5 feet of me where ever I was in the house. She sat by my feet at the kitchen table, laid on the bath mat when I took a shower and slept in her bed next to me every night. She waited patiently by the front door whenever I was out and greeted me as soon as I came home. Every Saturday she would jump into the back of my Landcruiser, I would open the windows and we would drive all over town to the cleaners, post office, bank and the sometimes stop off on the way home and share a vanilla ice cream cone. In 2004 she developed cancer and had a tumor removed from her neck, but she rebounded stronger than ever. In December 2004 I remarried and my wife brought a West Highland Terrier named Lucky into the marriage. Sunny and Lucky hit it off and became instant loving step sisters. We had 5 children between us and everyone got along great with each other and the dogs. Over the past 2 weeks Sunny had started to deteriorate. She could hardly climb the steps, lost her appetite and wouldn't even snack on her favorite treats of milkbone biscuits with peanut butter or cream cheese. I took her to the vet, she medicated her, but there was not much of an improvement. I had to take her in the hospital Thursday because it didn't appear that there was much more that I could do. This morning I received the call that I was dreading and Sunny's time had come. As hard as the decision was, it was the only decision that could have been made by sending Sunny to a comfortable and peaceful place. My wife and I drove to the vet to oversee the procedure and say our final goodbyes from us and our 5 children. I promised Sunny that in my next go around, I would find her again and we would be reunited. If you are thinking of getting a pet, please consider adoption. I promise you that it will be the best and happiest decision you will ever have made and most of all you can bring sunshine to your pet and all the lives she touches. Sunny, rest in peace, we will all miss you.