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Sorrow

Pete's Gone

I wish my first diary entry could be full of happy woofs, but my brother is gone. I woke up real early one morning cause Petey was groaning and rolling around in his crate. Before my other brother, Clooney, could ask what was wrong, the lights came on, and Petey was being loaded up into the car. Everything was a blur, with my Mom and Dad flying around till I was dizzy. When I finally looked up, Petey was gone. The only word I heard in the hub-bub was "stroke" and then I knew Pete was very sick.
When he came home that night, everyone was crying. I didn't know what was going on, but my kids, Claudia and Eli, were crying too. I couldn't get a glimpse of Petey through the crate, and it worried me. My family carried him inside, and my Daddy slept with him in the kitchen that night. The week went by very fast, with Petey going to work all day and sleeping inside at night.
That Saturday, my Mom called Claudia outside. I was there, and I heard everything. Petey had a very sick heart, and was in a lot of pain. The specialist couldn't do much for him, and after his stroke, he couldn't remember any of us. he wasn't the Petey they knew anymore, and we had to put him down. The next day, Petey went to the vet for the last time. All that came back was a box.
I know Petey is happy now in dog heaven, chasing squirrels all day long. A few days ago, Claudia came and whispered a secret in my ear: The night Petey went away, she tried to touch him, forgetting he didn't know her. He flinched away, and Claudia realized Momma was right. This wasn't the happy dog who chased her through the yard with a lopsided grin: This was a dog in pain who can't even remember who she was, even if they had spent years together. I realize how lucky we were to have him in those golden years, and I will miss my friend forever.