In loving memory of our beloved dog of 13 years; Al

Our family pet of 13 years is no longer with us, and we miss him terribly.

We are sad to say that our old dog, Al, left us on April 3rd, 2008 and it has left a giant hole in our home, our hearts, and our family.

Up until one year ago, last Easter, Al played and acted like a puppy and was in remarkably good health. Then on Easter Sunday of 2007 he was severely injured, and we don't know how it happened. (Some evidence leads us to believe he might have tangled with a racoon).

We let him out into the yard a vibrant and healthy dog, and when he came back in he was traumatized, shaking uncontrollably, and could barely walk up the stairs.

When we took him to the animal hospital the next day they said there was nothing they could do but put him on pain medication and tranquilizers, which he took for a while. He did recover somewhat, but was never the same after that.

From that injury he developed a mass in his abdomen and groin area which continued to grow. On April 2nd, 2008 I awoke about 4:00 AM with Al next to our bed, as usual, and it sounded like his breathing was labored. Later that morning when I fed him, he had no interest in eating. With that we called the veterinarian, but they couldn't see him until the next day, not realizing how grave his condition was. Throughout the day he became more lethargic and his breathing grew more labored.

By the time he was seen at the vet clinic the next day, they determined that the mass in his abdomen had ruptured, and he was bleeding internally. They said that surgery was an option, but that the chances of success were minimal, while causing him undue pain and agony. The only other option was to euthanize him.

We didn't want to put him through all of the stress and trauma of surgery, with so little chance of success, so we had no choice but to put him down. Mike had taken him into the vet by himself that day, as I had a meeting that I had to attend, so rather than euthanize him then at the clinic, Mike brought him home so that I could have the opportunity to say goodbye to him.

That evening our neighbor, and long time veterinarian, Tyler, came by the house on his way home from work and administered the injection.

While we know we made the right decision, it still breaks our hearts.