Christmas morning we put our beloved, 14yr old family dog to sleep. We arrived home from the vet’s in gutters-flooding rain, lit a fire and cocooned around it, sharing: how Tucker didn’t have a mean bone in his gorgeous golden lab bod, how full of love he was for us, for anyone, for Life–walks, letting the cats rub their faces on his, naptimes on the (fortunately king size) bed with his pack leader–my husband–trips to the beach (his favorite place in the world, a true water-dog).

I’m glad it rained. It required us to keep close, helped us begin to process a deep, shared sorrow by sharing our memories of Tucker.

We rescued Tucker when my son, now 14, was 2 years old.

We will miss his beautiful soul, forever.

Yours in admiration and love of Tucker,

PB