I’ve had dogs all my life. All breeds, mutts, mixes, and everything in-between. A few of those dogs were a little closer to me than most of them. However, when Riley came into our lives, him and I had a special sort of “connection.” It was like he knew what I was thinking and vice versa. He was always by my side but never in the road. Constant little companion who was always eager to please his owners and those who lived in his domain. Intensely loyal, loved everybody, and didn’t have a mean bone in his body. One day at the age of 6 he started losing strength with his hind legs. About the same time he started making little potty messes in the house, which was totally out of character for him. Long story short was he developed a tumor near the lower part of his spine and it was putting pressure on nerves causing him to lose feeling in his hind quarters and control of his bladder. We took him to Kansas State Vet school where he began treatment and it immediately shrunk the tumor. We agreed to continue treatment with the caveat he has a good quality of life and was not suffering. We were able to spend another 7 months with Riley before the chemo protocols were exhausted. Putting Riley down was the hardest thing I’ve ever been through-bar none! He is like my canine soul mate and though we put him down over 5 years ago, I still miss him dearly. I know he’s okay now and in a better place but when we put him down, a part of me died as well. It took me two years before I could talk about this in public because I always got emotional. To this day I visit his grave and thank God for letting me have Riley for almost 7 years. I’m a better person for having Riley in my life and so thankful for the days we had together. I only hope that when it’s my time to leave this earth, Riley and I will be reunited.

– Bob from Stanton, NE