Kind and Faithful Companion

I don't know how to begin. This is so hard I don't know how I can possibly make it right.

We all remember King Odysseus from the Oddysey. Odysseus went away to war and came back 20 years later disguised as a beggar so to see what was up in his Kingdom while he went away. Nobody recognized him. That is, nobody but his dog. Argos, who was once full of youth and playfulness, was now old and forgotten by the keepers. Odysseus saw him in the barn, and Argos saw Oddysseus had returned. Argos lifted his head, managed a wag of his tail, and then laid his head down and died.

Our dog Tug was put to sleep last friday.

He sat like an old man, loved to play with sprinkler hose, snuck out all the time, and was a guard dog for us all. We all loved that dog. He was a kind and faithful companion to the end.

I saw him last about one year ago this week. We went to wyoming and denver on a birthday weekend trip, and made an extra trip up to Sheridan to see him. We went to see family as well, but in my mind, I wanted to see my dog. We got there, and he recognized us immediately. He didn't pant and jump like normal, but he knew us. He followed us around non-stop, and whenever I sat down, he sat on my feet. He looked at me longingly with those little brown eyes... He had an acre to run around on. I know he loved it up there.

But I miss his companionship.

He used to ride to the grocery store with my mom and he would sit in the seat just like a trooper. seatbelt and all. He would follow my brother and I to the corner of the culdesac and make sure we made it okay. We were never able to sneak out as teenagers because Tug had a distinct bark that alerted the parents that we were leaving. He loved the little squeaky footballs you get at walmart, and if you threw it, he wouldn't bring it back. We named him tug because when we first got him, we had a little rope for him. All he could do was tug.

I love that dog. He was my friend, my guardian, and my faithful companion.

Goodbye.