The Circle of Life

I don't trust anyone who does not own pets. Pets teach us so much and only ask for love in return. And love comes in abundance from a four legged furry guy. Yep. Anyone who has ever read Marley and Me without sobbing at the end is not to be trusted.



We've owned Ernie for the past 6 years. Each night he climbed the stairs and laid at the foot of our bed while I went through my nightly rituals - tooth brushing, changing into jammies, checking out the nightly news. And when I turned down the covers, he knew to hop off the bed and lay on the floor, leaving a nice toasty spot behind to warm my feet as I slipped under the covers.

In late January, Ernie didn't want to climb the stairs one night. I thought perhaps an old knee injury was acting up and made an appointment on Thursday with our vet. With no other symptoms, you can imagine our shock at the vet's diagnosis of primary lung cancer. The x-rays were beyond belief, even to the untrained eye. How could have even be walking around with all those tumors? By Saturday, he was gone. It happened so fast; a blessing he didn't have to suffer. But our hearts were broken. How could I ever find a dog so smart, so loving, so in touch with each of my feelings to take up that now cold spot at the foot of my bed? Who could fill this void in our lives?

I spent my free time visiting our local shelters (can you say "pit bull"), checking out petfinder.com and contacting rescue organizations. And then we found this guy...



Meet Sherman - aka The Sherminator. A three month old golden retriever who's walked into our lives. No one could ever replace Ernie, but Sherman is eager to fill the empty spot in our hearts. He will probably be eager to warm up the foot of my bed...


.... as soon as he is big enough to reach it.