by Kaitlin Walsh
At first it thought he'd always be there by my side. My little buddy. His name was Toto. He was a male Shih Tzu. Brown and white. He was born on August 2 1988. I got him when I was 2 and grew up with him. He was sooo special to me. He seemed so happy and so layal. He would alway protect me when my parents would pretend to hurt me. But soon he grew old. And one rainy day I'll never forget, he got sick. He was out in the rain, waiting for his girlfriend to come outside(she was in heat). And when i let him inside, he was weasing and breathing very heavy. 2 days later we took him to the vet. She said that he had an inlarged heart and had heart failure. Me and my mom went home crying. And soon he was having dizzy spells and would "Pass out" i guess you could say. He caould controll his bodily functions and would often pee on the floor. We felt absolutely terrible. We did everything we could to keep him alive as long as possible. He had to take pills 2 timea day. He didnt like tham and we would have to practically shove them down his throat. What I remember the most is laying in bed and praying to God not to take him the next and and not ever to take him....for him to get better and for all of this to go away. But it never did. I remember the day he died. I was in school and we had the dress rehersal for our spring play. It was April 22nd 1997. When I left that morning i was late for the buss and left without giving him a hig and kiss and just said by i love you. When i was walking home from school i noticed that his chain was all raveled up an the back yard, and my moms car was there. I ran inside and called my mom. She came out of the kitchen crying. She didnt have to say anything but she did. "Toto.....Toto died Katie......" she said to me. At first i could evrn cry and felt guilty. I eventually criend and cried and cried. I cried my eyes out all day and all night. I through a fit a few times and cried my self to sleep for the first feew nights. Its been more than a year and it seems like a decade. I still cry myself to sleep and cry IN my sleep. Ill never for get him. NEVER!
~Kaitlin~