On September 10, 2003 the closest thing to me died. His name was LUKE. He was "mans best friend" for 18 years. Our time during those years was better than anyone could ever hope for. It all began in 1986 when i adopted a dog from a dog shelter and about 3 weeks after i had him, the vet told me he had to be put to sleep because he was suffering from an internal problem that gave him constant pain. I was sad but did not want him to continue to suffer, so I did as the vet said. A few days later I saw an ad in the local paper about a 3 month old mix breed male dog that a guy could not keep in his apt. So i went and met him and LUKE for the first time. He looked like a bear cub , with the most cute face. I said that I would take Luke off the guys hands. Our life began .......and got better each day we were together. We did everything together....ride in a car....swimming on beach into the ocean....fishing in the ocean off a boat....fishing off a pier ....even looking for girls. In other words we were always together. One thing that i loved best about him is that he had the most beautiful smile. And as i type I am looking at a pic of him smiling. my eyes are full of water and tearing also. He always had to keep an eye on me...even if i walked out the door for 1 min or 1 day , he never would leave the spot that he last saw me. And when i returned he would hug and kiss me for at least 5 mins , non stop. One thing that was funny to me was that he could be so sneeky doing anything. If there was a wrapper from anything that i just eat, he would get at it no matter what stood in his way. I know that i can never find another like him. this uis why my heart hurts so much. I knew that he loved me and he knew that i loved him. LUKE would never ever let me carry him in my arms like a baby. however on the day that i took him to the vet, i carried him like that and he just layed his head against my neck. he knew where we were going, and he knew that it was the only thing that could help him now. His legs had become like rubber and he was not able to even get up any more. the night before i took him to the vet , he tried again and again to get up , but he could not. Once he realized this , he began to slam his head on the floor at great force. I think he was trying to kill him self this way. When i would lay next to him , he would stop the banging and just lay there , but not look me in the eyes. He always looked me in the eyes, so i knew that it was time. I have cried for 4 days now and just today have started to smile when i think about him. HE WAS MY VERY BEST EVERYTHING....... L U K E ..... I WILL ALWAYS LOVE YOU ..
