Dolly

I write this with a heavy heart. Yesterday, our beautiful dog Dolly had to be put down due to old age and health reasons. She has been our dog since I was in kindergarten, and she was technically 'mine' because I chose her and she slept in my room every night. The hardest part is that I'm in Florida and I did not get to say goodbye; I didn't get to hug her, scratch her ears or rub her belly one last time. She was such a great dog. She never bit anyone, always licked and she was potty trained when we got her. I still remember the day I found her. My dad told us to get in the car while my mom was at work. He told us that we were going to go to the APA to look for a dog and I was SO excited. I had wanted a dog for the longest time. Dolly was a calm, gentle dog just laying in her cage. She wagged her tail when she saw me. I stuck my hand in the cage and she started licking it. I knew right then that I wanted her and we did. We learned that she was a German Shepard/Cocker Spaniel/Springer Spaniel mix. She had a bushy tail, a black body and the fur on her ears was crimped and blonde. I remember thinking that she would win dog shows had she not been a mutt. As mentioned earlier, she always slept in my room. She knew not to jump on my bed- I had made a bed for her out of blankets. She was my pillow when I was sad, soaking up my tears. It was so weird, whenever I was upset, it was like she knew to come to me. I'd talk to her and I told her that she had to stay alive to see me off to college. Last summer we thought we were going to lose her because she became very ill, but she pulled through and lasted another year. It still hasn't hit me yet because I'm still in Florida. I know that she was suffering and that she's no longer in pain, it's just so hard. It's really hard to type this right now. I think I'm going to have to stop. I miss you Dolly, and I know that Henry is probably lost without you too. Please watch over me.