Schnell spent a short nine years with  us; he was our child, our friend and our guardian. There will always be a painful hole in our hearts he once occupied.

We adopted him at a mere 9 weeks old. He was everything we wanted in a dog, he was very big and very frightening to strangers. But those that knew  him, knew he was all heart.

One of his favorite things to do was to try to leave with the mailman. He would get in the truck and sit there smiling at us.

He hated bees because he stuck his snout in a bees nest once, came howling of the woods and rolled his face around on the cool long grass. From that day on, if he saw a bee, he would catch it and eat it.

He chased the lawn mower, one time he picked up the 42″ riding mower by grabbing the rear tire.  When he dropped it, it broke the rear axle.

During the late fall he developed a cold, he sniffled and we did our best to keep him warm, with plenty of water to drink. He played as normal and he was not forgotten on Thanksgiving  day. We went out to play, give him a piece of turkey breast and spend some time with him. He got up and staggered to the heated garage. Suddenly blood began gushing from his nose and mouth and he was gone. Just like that. Our friend, our buddy, was gone.

We had Schnell cremated and his ashes remain with us. Although every time we look at  him, it makes our heart ache, we are unable to part with him. He will ultimately be combined with us and be forever together.

— Jeanette from Hornell, NY