She was a really great dog, perfect for our family and was the quintessential "man's best friend".

About three months before she passed away.

My wife's pregnancies were difficult and dangerous at times. When she was bedridden or ill the dog was by her side. The dog also kept bones and rawhide chips stashed throughout the house but when my wife was sick the dog would gather up her stash and pile them up next to my wife... presumably to help her feel better.

When someone tried to break into our home, through the door in our baby's bedroom, the dog was there before I even knew something was wrong. To that point I'd wonder if she was too sweet to be a protector. That night all of my doubts were gone. Her bed and kennel was in the kitchen but from then on until we moved she almost always slept in the baby's room.

She kept me company on cross country drives between Chicago and SLC, including staying in the footwell of a moving truck as we moved all of our belongings to our new home in Illinois.

She loved to play and wrestle with me. At about 60 pounds she had plenty of strength and she would jump into me and play with me with all of it. But the second one of the kids, especially as toddlers, walked in her demeanor and playfulness changed completely. She became very gentle, stopped jumping up or leaving the ground, and she played in a way that a toddler could handle. It was like a switch could flip on or off depending on who she was playing with.

She was everybody's best friend but when our youngest kid was born the bond was different. They were inseparable and if he went outside she went outside, if he was inside she was inside. I always felt like he was safe because she was there.

She was athletic and playful up until about age 10-11. The years started to impact her and most of her time was spent sleeping... but still always by my side or with another member of the family. She was relatively healthy but you could tell she was fading.

One year ago today my wife called me and she was crying. I knew right away before she could even get out the words and I said "I am leaving right now, I'll be home soon." The dog had stumbled and fallen, she couldn't get up. My wife was able to help her get to her bed and rest.

It was clear that she had to go and her body was giving up. My wife got the kids from school and let them all say goodbye. When I first got home it seemed the dog was nervous and didn't know what was happening. Once she had all of us there... especially once the kids were there she relaxed and rested despite everybody's tears. We stayed with her until she passed away quietly.

She really was the best dog I could have ever hoped for my family to have and I doubt we will ever find her equal.

About a month later I did find a new puppy for my family. He hasn't replaced the first but has been a great addition to the family and given the kids the companion that they were missing. Raising him from a little puppy has been great for the kids and given them a lot of new responsibilities that they didn't experience the first time around. Despite feeling sad when I think of the memories with our first family dog I love the new memories my kids are making.

New dog at about 12 weeks and again at about 8 months.