Hi Mark,

I just wanted to share with you I too had a lost this past Christmas, I had a beautiful mastiff-Boxer mix dog his name was Zeus, he was only 3 years old and we adopted him at the shelter and took him home he was loved – he never barked but once his whole time he was with us but his appearance spoke volumes in power and strength, he grew up with our new born daughter who he was a genital lamb with her even though he was 3x her size….the funnies moment I ever had was when my daughter was 1 her would pull on him and play on him at his bed and he would just sit there as though he knew she loves him….(sorry)…well I turn my back to walk away from them and I hear my daughter starting the fuss like she was frustrated so I turned around and my dog had sat up just enough for her to lay flat on his bed and he sat down just enough to hold her down as though he had enough looking right at me like a old sibling would do to a younger, I laughed with tears of joy at that site and I will never forget him…
He had to be put to sleep because he never got better from his past owner and the kennel as he developed e-coli in the marrow of his bones, we spend over $6,000.00 to try and save his life, it was hear breaking and torture…finally my wife said her goodbyes on that sat morning in January of this year and I had my daughter kiss him and tell him goodbye even though she had no idea what was going on and I took her to my mothers….before I built up the courage to take Zeus to the vet I held him, cried my eyes out and said goodbye, I have owned dogs all my life and I have never had to put them down they would just pass with old age…as I was thinking of the books I read “Old yeller” and “where the red fern grows” it made me wish it was a story and everything would be ok…

well sad to say Zeus is gone, but after a “Gunny pug (my daughter calls it)” and a pet fish my wife, daughter and I have added a new member to the family his name is Pele’ who is a jet black Cockerpooh with one black spot under his chin and chest, he is not Zeus but he has brought joy to our home again……

– Aaron