When I first moved to where I live now, there was a cute litter of puppies behind my house. When I was finally able to get one, they were all gone. The next week this cute little puppy was back. Skipper was his name. He of course went through the puppy stage of chewing and potting in the house. He finally became house trained and grew out of his puppy stage. He became a member of our family. He was the best dog anyone could've asked for. He was my best friend. When times were rough in my life, he always knew when to love on me. It's like he knew that I was sad or in pain. We had him 13 years. Then oneday he acted as if his mind was gone. We took him to the vet and they found something in his spleen. The spleen needed to be removed for any chance of survival. On Monday March 12th Skipper had surgery. After the surgery, they couldn't get the bleeding to stop so he was taken to IVEC to receive 2 blood transfusions. We hoped we could bring him home to have a little more time with him. Tuesday morning we got a call at 4 am stating that he had passed. We were fortunate enough to bring him home and lay him to rest in the yard he loved. We have planted flowers and created a headstone. The absence of this dog and beloved companion has torn my heart to pieces. We were set in a routine and that routine is no more. He used to meet us at the door as we pulled up from work and now there is no one there. I don't know where to begin with this pain I have in my heart. His food bowl and beds are no longer in the house. It just seems empty without him. What do I do? Am I supposed to be happy that he is in a better place or sad because we don't have that loving creature with us? A part of me is lost. I have resorted to sleeping with his favorite moose just so I can have a part of him close. My heart aches for a puppy I once took for walks and pulled in an old red wagon. A puppy who knew when to give love. A puppy who would protect us in any circumstance but was also easy going. A puppy I saw alive for the last time. I never got to say goodbye. Does he know how much he was loved?? A puppy named Skipper Joe....