george

in 2008 i lost my dog, george, to heart failure. seven years before, i rescued george after his owner decided they no longer wanted him and asked that he be put to sleep. how could they toss aside such a loving dog he was so affectionate, his fur soft as silk. charlie, our darling cock-a-poo, was 15 when i brought george home. they spent three fun-filled years together before God took charlie home at the age of eighteen. george sang happy birthday. well, i would sing and he would howl to everyone's delight. as soon as i sang the word "happy", he would start to sing along. george and our other dog, grace were such great companions. they loved to hike and swim together. when george was diagnosed with a failing heart, the doctors gave him six to nine months to live. his heart was so full of love, though, that he stayed with us two more years. i prayed that i would be with him when God took george home. one day, as he ran down the stairs to greet me, he had a fatal heart attack. there's a big red heart painted on my basement floor where he laid before going to heaven. we never know on what path God will lead us and suffering the pain of losing a loved one is so heartbreaking. but not having them along the road of life, sharing good times and laughter would make our lives so empty.