My Buddy(Valerie Potter) Dear Buddy,
It is the third of February 2010. What a very cruel year and month. You lay only feet away from me dying on the bed in your dignified stalwart way while I dissolve into tears over and over at what is coming at us, yes you have me doing the ugly cry. We who were inseperable will soon be apart. How can this be? I love you so much my sweetest friend that I truly wonder if I will survive this. You were there for 'Grandma' and me when we lost Dad. You were a light and made us laugh again. Then when 'Grandma' died you gave me something to live for, someone to talk to at all times, someone to care for and someone to hold. Someone to take long walks with, and you with your funny ways always made me laugh and smile. Now you lay here either sleeping or in a stupor, barely able to function anymore. You no longer look anything like the above picture taken in much better days (though I notice your appettite seems to be intact, sad smile here for I know even that too is fading). I foolishly try different remedies even now to selfishly keep you with me. Though I'm not sure how selfish since we love each other equally, it will be hard for you to go without me, and it will be hard to be here without you my dearest. You have been my family. Buddy you have been such a blessing. All those songs I have sung for you, and how you would pat me with your loving paw to 'sing it again' because of course all your songs had your name in them didn't they my sweet. To go to the beach without you will be a knife to my heart for I will see you everywhere yet nowhere. There will be only one set of footprints instead of two. I am deeply saddened to realize we had our very last walk together only a few days ago and it was just a little trot around a neighborhood, not even a beach walk. To think you will no longer play with your old orange frisbee or round up all the seagulls, and you did such a good job my little man. When we went anywhere in the car it always lifted my spirits to see you staring intently out the window waiting for me to come back from my errands. My world will be a cold dark place without you Buddy. I will be a long time missing you as I doubt I will ever stop. You will be with Grandma, and I know she will take good care of you, but that does little to help this pain because I know what a cold dark abyss I will be left to live in until that day comes that we are together again at last. I have all your sheets and blankets, your collars, we called them your shirts, and leashes, all this leftover food, the dog hairs, and of course your special 'smell'. To think you will soon simply disappear from this world, I would go right with you if I could my friend. This is simply unbearable. I would rather lose my right arm than to lose you. My heart is broken my beautiful friend. A mother could not feel any more grief than I do, she simply couldn't, this is on the same level. My only consolation is knowing I too will go one day. I want to thank you Buddy for sharing your life with me and making my world bearable for as long as your little body would let you. You have been all the good things and none of the bad, except for this intolerable parting. I will never ever forget you My Buddy. My buddy, your buddy misses you.

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