Farewell to my Pal

Sue and I have a great dog right now - her name is Sadie and she is a black lab. She is a comic - not the brightest bulb, but always the clown. We enjoy her daily and she is an important part of the family. However, she is not our first lab - that was Pepper. We lost Pepper at an early age after a short but fatal illness (the vet thought it was Pancratic Cancer). She died in the early morning while at the vet's hospital for treatment when Sue and I were not there. After I received the phone call, it became my unhappy duty to drive up to Sue's school and share the news. It was a bad day, it was a sad day that I will never forget.

The following is the goodby I wrote to Pepper the day after she died. I still have trouble reading it without a tear welling up in my eye.

Farewell to my Pal

I am writing this note to say goodbye to my friend, my pal, Pepper. I am sorry that I couldn’t say goodbye to you before you left us, but I didn’t know you leaving so soon. Oh, I knew you were very sick – in the back of my heart I was afraid that this was something that you would not come out of. But now you are gone, and I am left with my thoughts of our time together.

In the midst of all my sadness, I am comforted to know that every day of your life you knew that you were so very loved. When I was at home, you were my constant companion. When I was outside, you would lie down close to where I was working. When I was home office, you would lie behind my chair. Quite often when I would sleep, you would sleep next to me. When I was away from home, I felt comforted knowing that you would protect with your life the ones that I held dearest to my heart. Yes Pepper, you were the all around good dog.

Mom and I and the girls are very grateful that we were able to adopt you at the Humane Society on that July day, eight short years ago. Ever since that day when you joined our family, you have fit in like you always belonged. Now that you are gone, there is a hole in my heart that will take a long time to mend – but I will never regret the day that you became a member of our family.

Pepper, our life will go on as it must. You will always be remembered, and always missed. After the sting of you passing subsides, I will think of you with a smile on my face as the good times we had together will always be in my heart. Every time I throw a Frisbee, wander down in “Pepper’s Hollow”, or even sit in home office, I will think of you. You have enriched this family, and changed this family in a way that I could have never imagined.

Now Pepper, as hard as this is, I must now let you go. Thank you for being my friend, my pal, my dog. To quote a friend of mine, the only thing you ever did wrong, was to die.