Two months after becoming involved in Golden Retriever Rescue, when Sadie was 13 months old, I got Alex as my fourth foster Golden. Sadie was my very first dog and I had no intention of ever getting a second one! Alex was given up by a man who had become homeless and was living in his car in order to keep Alex with him. The man couldn't go to a homeless shelter or get an apartment with a dog, so with great pain, he turned Alex over to Golden Retriever Rescue, feeling that Alex deserved a better life than he could give him.
Sadie, Kojiki, and I became his foster family, and we fell in love with him. As soon as the first family showed an interest in adopting him, I cried all day and knew that I could never give him up. On the fourth day I adopted him! I never met his former owner, but think of him all the time, imagining how much he must miss Alex, and how unselfish he was to give him up. Alex was probably his last possession in the world.
Not a day went by that I didn't say to someone that Alex seemed like more than a dog. I couldn't really express it; of course, he wasn't human, but there was something very soulful and special about him that touched everyone that ever came into contact with him. Wherever we went, he magically drew people to him. Within two months Alex had passed his Canine Good Citizenship Test, received his Therapy Dog International certification, and gave comfort to many people in nursing homes, as well as to children who were afraid of dogs. I celebrated his life everyday that he was with me, and it wasn't until he went suddenly and unexpectedly to the Bridge, that I realized what was so special about him --- he was an angel! I had never believed in angels before, but I truly believe that he was my angel here on earth.
Just two weeks before he died of bloat, I had a one-year “Gotcha Day” party for him with Sadie and seven more of his best doggie friends and some of his aunties, and they enjoyed eating Frosty Paws. You can see that the picture of him in his pool was the same picture on his cake.
With the help and support of good friends, Alex is buried in my backyard in his own little garden. We miss him terribly and wish that he may rest in peace while watching over us as our precious Guardian Angel.
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See Alex on the Golden Retriever Rescue of Michigan website
