A Girl's Best Friend

This week I had to say goodbye to one of the best dogs I have ever had. Growing up I always had a dog, but I was never really attached to any of them like I was to Cole.

One of our last pictures together 12/25/11

Six years ago my Mom and I were at the carwash and in the lobby there were two little schnauzer puppies. As we waited for our car we played with the two pups and to our surprise learned that the owner was trying to find a home for them. We had no intention of getting another dog, but it was one of those moments in life when you know you were brought together by fate. My Mom and I knew immediately that Cole would be the perfect addition to our family. Right before I picked him up for the first time he peed all over the floor and that is one of the things that got him his name...we knew he would be a little spit fire and he was black like coal.

Cole immediately became a huge part of our family. He was so bright and took hardly no time at all to train. He followed us around the house everywhere we went, ran to greet us when we came home each evening, and best of all at dinner he would lay his head on our laps and grunt like a pig as he begged for us to share our dinner. The running joke in our family is we should have called him Wilber because he looked and sounded like a potbelly pig.

He was quite the character. He absolutely hated the doorbell and splashing in the pool. His favorite foods were popcorn and fruit loops. He loved this stuffed animal dog I got him named Ikey. Ikey was half the size of Cole and he would carry him around everywhere. At one point in time Ikey even lost his head and we had to sew it back on. Cole was a spunky little guy and would always alert us when someone was outside our house. He was also a great judge of character. He knew best and let us know when he wasn't particularly fond of one of our boyfriends, friends or visitors. Lastly, we think he was partial cat...he loved attention and when you pet him he purred.

My favorite memory of Cole is the way he would cock his head to the right and perk up his ears when I said his name. I believe there is a place for dogs like Cole in heaven. He brought so much joy and unconditional love to our family. I was truly blessed to have Cole in my life. He taught me so many things and I will cherish the memories we had together forever.

Let me simply say...Cole will be greatly missed.

In memory of all the loved and lost dogs in my life.