TuffGuy was the most gorgeous, well-behaved and loyal companion anyone could ever ask for. From the day we brought him home at 10 weeks old until the day he left us to find a pain-free place called Rainbow Bridge. I miss him so much it still hurts almost 4 weeks later.

As a pup, TuffGuy was so terrified leaving his only known territory. He stayed in his crate for 3 days only stepping outside to the newspaper to do his business. Then one day, he came out to my husband laying on the floor and curled up. A very special bond was formed between TuffGuy and Daddy at that moment. TuffGuy was a very playful and energetic baby. He learned everything very quickly and always stayed by Mommy and Daddy.

One day, TuffGuy discovered the TV and any time an animal was on the screen, he went crazy. Sometimes he would just sit there and watch TV with the selective hearing that many men have (I think he learned that from Daddy!).

TuffGuy always enjoyed going to see Grandma and Grandpa, Aunt Collette, Uncle Chip and his furry cousins, Lexi, Taz and Mazy. He had a younger furry brother, Samson, and loved to keep Samson from playing with Mommy and Daddy. Although Samson did take on his own territorial instinct while TuffGuy gave in and rolled over on his back. He love belly rubs and hair combing. He would paw at you if he wanted petted - he was very demanding, but so hard to resist!

TuffGuy was a beautiful dog and had a very short life when one day I arrived home from work and he wasn't feeling well. Nothing ever occurred to me that it would be serious. They all get sick some times, right? He wasn't eating, didn't sleep well that night and appeared to be in a lot of discomfort. I took him to the vet and the x-ray showed an unknown blockage in his stomach near his pancreas.

The next day about noon, I got a call from the clinic telling me what I feared most - A possible tumor in the pancreas. My baby was only 7 years old. I needed to see him again so left work and met my husband at the clinic. It was the hardest thing I could imagine to see the pain he was in. We couldn't even hold him for fear of causing him more pain. We made the decision to allow the doc to do exploratory surgery to be 100% sure it wasn't something else. About 20 minutes later we learned the devastating truth and were with him when his heart stopped.

I ask myself over and over how could we not have seen any signs that he was sick? I was told the tumor likely was not there very long but grew very fast.

I miss my baby so much. It is my true belief that God put TuffGuy into our lives so he could have the best possible life in the short time he had. We had just sold our home and have temporary living arrangements so we took TuffGuy and buried him at Grandma and Grandpa's house with his other furry friends that went on before. And Samson has a spot next to his brother when that time comes. I can't wait until the day when I can see TuffGuy again. I imagine his ears back, his butt wagging (in leiu of just his tail!), and he has a happy bone in his mouth growling as he always did when he was happy to see us. It was always something we looked forward to after a long day at work.

Lost but absolutely will never be forgotten as the best furry friend imaginable. We love you and miss you so much, TuffGuy. Not a day goes by that I don't think of you with tears in my eyes.