My dog, Latte.

As a kid in college, you never really think those moments will be the ones that truly shape the rest of your life. In the window of the pet shop was the most adorable yellow lab puppy I’d ever seen in my life. As a college kid with no money, I said, “why not?” and walked away with this tiny ball of fur, a crate, and some food and toys…and my first “financed” purchase of my adult life.

(I should pause and point out that this was long before I realized what we know now about mall pet stores and why we should always adopt, not shop. But this is how he came to be in my life and therefore important to his story.)

I named him Latte. His only fault was a tail a touch too short. His greatest love, besides swimming, was tennis balls. This guy was obsessed. He never did quite master picking up more than one at a time but he sure tried. Never was he without a ball within a paw’s reach, always ready for playtime. If he got to be too much, a simple “no mas” would let him know it was time to settle down. He loved to run in the grass and play fetch, despite the fact that he was allergic and it made his paws itch. He was also never too far from his sidekick, Nala (who was actually his daughter!) Those two were inseparable.

Latte saw me through every major milestone in my life. He was there when the breakups were sometimes too hard to handle and there when I was falling for the love of my life. He was kind and gentle as he met new roommates. He moved back home with me and then back to college and then everywhere else we called home thereafter. Latte comforted me in times of grief as he would lay his big ole head in my lap, letting me pet him for hours on end. His yellow, almost white fur was just so very soft.  He was there, cheerfully barking along in moments of joy as we got married and began our lives together. He was there wagging his tail to greet us as we went from a family of two to a family of three…and then four. He was there as a support as our babies took their first steps and would happily help with clean up duty when solid food was introduced.

He was there for me…for 10 amazing years. It went by in the blink of an eye it seems but I remember it all like it just happened. I am sad he never got to meet the fifth member of our family…oh boy would he have loved Latte. I just know they would have been the best of friends. Somehow I can still feel his fur between my fingers and see those sweet, soulful brown eyes looking at me, just hoping I’ll throw the ball just one more time. And I would buddy…if I had known the last time I threw it that it would be the very last time, I never would’ve stopped. You were the best dog I have ever known. And I am so grateful for our time together.

You will “fur”ever be my best buddy.

Angie