We brought Paisano home when he was 15 weeks old and he was as cute as could be. We then realized that as cute as he was, he was at least that much work to train and exercise him. At times I was frustrated and just thought he’d never settle down. Obviously, we would crate Paisano when we would leave and it was one of the hardest things for us to do. You see, he would get extreme anxiety when in the crate and he would be soaking wet from drool when we would return home. It just killed us to see him like that. Well the day finally came when he was a year old and we gradually began to leave him out when we would leave. Sure we lost a few pieces of paper occasionally, but nothing more! From that point on he became the most wonderful dog to us. From his excitement when we would return home, to his absolute loyalty and undying love, to his cuddling, and, yes, sighing when he was annoyed, he was a huge part of our lives.

He never failed to win the heart of anyone he came in contact with. Unfortunately, on August 31st of this year he was diagnosed with Lymphoma and given 1-2 months to live. He wasn’t even 4 yrs. old. The next 2 months were just a rollercoaster emotionally. He would have great days and some that were just aweful. Many times we thought, this was the last day and ,then, out of nowhere, he would be full of energy again and seemingly back to his old self. Gradually his sleeping became more restless and breathing became labored until Oct. 21st, when it was apparent he was suffering and he wasn’t going to have anymore good days or even moments. That Sunday evening we brought him in to have him put him down. The experience will stay with us forever! It’s a loss that you never want to experience again. Deep down inside though, we know that we will.
We then returned home to an empty house and another total breakdown into tears.

The next few days were filled with empty moments where we thought we could hear our beloved Paisano breathing, walking, sighing, etc… We would habitually look to the upstairs bedroom window, where he was undoubtedly waiting for us to return. He was, and always will be, whole-heartedly missed. His “shoes” will be very tough to fill and way too much to expect from our new 14 month old Boxer, Giada. Yes, we rescued her only 5 days after losing Paisano and she is another blessing that God has placed in our care. Paisano enters our thoughts frequently and both happy and sad memories come into our minds. Giada is helping us heal and we know that she too, will grow with us and steal our hearts and fill them with only the love that a dog can give. Paisano, we love and miss you with all our hearts, and only you could have made us a Boxer family for life!!
Thanks buddyboy.

Michael from MN