I had been waiting so long and the time had finally come. On October 18 1994 I got the call from the breeder I worked for. Sting one of my girls was ready to give birth. I had known from the beginning that one of her pups would be mine and rushed over immediately to be there for the deliveries. Somewhere in the middle of 11 pups there came one tiny little boy. When I held him his tiny little nose nudged my hand and I knew that we would never be separated. The runt of the litter he wasn’t strong enough to eat and for a few weeks I fed him with first a syringe and then a bottle. After what seemed the longest 10 weeks of my life he was finally ready to come home.
My parents immediately fell in love with him as well and he became as much a member of the family as the rest of us. A few years later I met a wonderful man and married. After much debate it was decided that Suede would stay with my parents in the home he had grown up in and with my father who was retired and was his best friend.
He had several happy years with them and just last year was diagnosed with Congestive Heart Failure. He fought hard and remained strong but finally the time came for us to make the hardest decision of our lives.
On July 18th we made the arrangements with his vet to have him put to rest and end his suffering. One last time in his life he proved to us that he was far superior to us and much more intelligent than we had ever given him credit for. In the early morning of July 19th he passed quietly and peacefully in his sleep taking the decision out of our hands and going on his own terms in his own bed.
This was the most extraordinary creature I have ever had the honor of knowing and there will never be another like him. Suede I know that you are running and playing with friends now on the other side of that bridge and I look forward to the day when I will come to that bridge and see you running to me with the puppy spirit that you always had.
Mommy loves and misses you
Sugar Bear and you will always
and forever be in my heart and
by my side.
Shannon
| Suede |
| 19, July 2002 |
| Shannon |