Koa came into our lives at 4 months of age. She was the sweetest, loyal and cuddly dog. We consider her our family member rather than a pet. I have always had dogs and she is the sweetest one of all next to our Great Danes. She was a Pit Bull. Before Koa came along I was afraid of pit bulls because of the horror stories we hear about. My daughter came home one day with her and she has been here ever since. Our hearts are aching now, she died Monday. It just all happened suddenly, one day she was fine and the next she started having problems walking and each day got worse. We were at the Vet almost daily to find out what was wrong. She was having pain in her neck so the Vet thought it was that at first, but when she started having problems standing or walking they did what is called a Mylogram, and that showed she had a tumor on her spine. We were devastated!!! The vet said she did not recommend us putting her through Chemotherapy because her quality of life would be horrible and she would be sick all the time. We didn’t want to do that to her, we Loved her to much, so we had to say G’bye to her and it was the hardest and most horrible day of our lives. We all told her we Loved her and kissed her G’bye. She was 12 yrs old. Our home is not the same w/out her. SHe moved in 2 days after we moved into the house, so she has been here as long as we have. I don’t know if I will ever get over our lose. SHe was such a special girl and from day one she was such a good girl. She will forever be in our Hearts

— Healani from San Diego, CA

Muffin graced us with her life for 12 years.  I held her head in my hands as she took her last breath.  She was a soft-coated wheaten terrier.  She was loving, smart, playful, and everyone was her friend.  When she passed away, a part of me went with her.  However, she lives within my heart and will, forever.

— Marilyn from Port Richey, FL

I’m crying as I write this post because we lost our dear friend Bandersnatch this morning.  Bandy was a fawn French Bulldog that belonged to my daughter  Holly.  He was only part of our family for two years but he touched all of our hearts like no pet has ever done before.  His incredible loving personality endeared him to everyone who knew him and he never failed to brighten our days.  It was impossible to look at him without smiling or even laughing out loud.  He talked to us with his little snorts.  Some people thought we were nuts when we said that, but it’s true.  We learned to interpret his snorts in such a way that it was almost like he had his own language.  You might say it was part of his charm.  We loved him like a child and he loved us right back.  Three days ago he got sick.  We took him to the vet and he had blood in his lungs.  He showed improvement yesterday and we were hopeful.  But this morning he took a turn for the worse.  He had a heart attack and his lungs were full of blood.  We think it was a snakebite, but we’re still not positive.  We’re devastated because we lost our friend and because we weren’t able to get to the vet before he died.  We miss you Bandy.  We miss you so much and we’re so sorry we weren’t there.  We hope we will all see you again.  If there’s a Heaven for dogs, We know you have the biggest wings.  We love you.

— Bucky from Wichita Falls, TX

My wife Pam and I had a dog named Buddy, who we had to put to sleep in March. Buddy was the perfect dog, and he set the bar high for any other dog we would want. It broke my wife’s heart. But then she found Evan at the Genesee County Animal Control Shelter. We went to check him out, and we both fell in love with him. Evan is an 8 month old Pit Bull/Labrador mix, and is such a good, loving dog, who is well on his way to meeting the high bar set by Buddy. Knowing of your love for dogs, and how much you inspire your listeners to check out the animal shelters when considering adoptions, I just had to share this with you.

— Daryl from North Branch, MI

A young, pathetic little Scottish Terrier literally scratched on our front door one night. She had an ingrown, frayed rope around her neck and was riddled with fleas, ticks, and infection.

I had always asked about the possibility of getting a dog, but my husband was not open to it. We could not have children and our busy professional lives made it seem impossible to care for such a needy animal.

My husband told me that I had one week to find the dog a home, but by the end of the week, she was his Girl – we named her JoJo.

I think back now, and I had recently prayed to God that “I just want to know the truth.” AND “send me a dog that needs me.”

I got both.

She is 14 now and her time is very near; but we are happy to have been a part of her life and pray that another who needs us will find its way to us.

— Marty from Frisco, TX

Adopted from a shelter on September 22, 2001, Dude was estimated to be 7 months old by his vet.  I figured he was born sometime in February and selected February 14th as the little guy’s birthday.  He was a solid black Shih Tzu who managed to look both distinguished and adorable but had the heart of a Rottweiler.  His previous owners had turned him in with a punctured eye and he was left sitting in a cage with no medical care, enduring what must have been unimaginable pain.  The shelter personnel discovered his “eye infection” upon his release.  I had no idea how badly he was injured or how stoic he had been until our vet examined him.  After extensive medical care, his eye was saved but it troubled him for the rest of his life.  He had allergies that bothered him constantly, but it was never determined was caused them.  None of that kept him down, though.  He’d excitedly run around the house when he saw he was going on an outing and would run to his basket of toys to give them a good walloping before he left.  The first spring after I got him, I found him one day in the backyard intently eyeing a buzzing bumblebee (probably the first time he’d seen one).  Another time at the park, I saw him desperately trying to shake something out of his paw.  He panicked.  “Get it off; get it off”, he seemed to say.  It was a bumblebee!  It was buzzing on the ground and got stuck when he pawed at it curiously.  How he loved his trips to the park, any park!  And if there were geese around, he’d chase them until he’d cleared all the fields of them!  Only then would he come back to us, prancing proudly.
Coming back from a walk one day, I let his leash go, since we were close to home and I knew he would follow me.  No, he did not.  By the time I turned around, he had disappeared.  I searched up and down the block calling his name, going in people’s backyards.  I asked a neighbor if she had seen him.  She said no.  As I continued to search, the same neighbor came by later in her truck with Dude sitting on her lap, happily looking out the window, as if to say “What an adventure I had!”  He had been found on the next block, the mailman holding his leash.  He was fond of his adventures, often wandering off to neighbors’ backyards when we weren’t looking.  Such a social butterfly and what a gentle spirit!
About a year after I got Dude, my husband’s heart problems began.  Dude took to sleeping with him and guarding him.  Dude became my husband’s little shadow.
When Dude started acting strangely about a year ago, the vet said it was ‘just old age’ and because he was 11 years old, I let it go at that.  Looking back, I’ve realized that he tried hard to tell me that something was wrong.  I should have sought a second opinion or insisted on tests.  Something! Anything!  The second opinion came too late; it was lung cancer.
After hurricane Sandy, my husband suffered a stroke.  And although Dude was sick and weak from the cancer, he sat at my husband’s feet, guarding him – refusing to eat or drink.  He became even more emaciated and his coughing increased to the point that it wouldn’t let him sleep.  On January 16, 2013, I let him go to his rest.  They said I was doing the right thing.  It sure didn’t feel like it.  Choking back tears and with a broken heart, I watched his life stilled.  I pray that he forgives my final betrayal.  Dude is one of the finest persons I’ve known and, for such a small creature, has left an enormous void.  He had given his all and filled our lives with joy and love.  Rest well, my distinguished little gentleman, my little Dude, Beloved Friend.  You are a wonderful Doggie!

— Minerva from Roselle Park, NJ