A Letter

Hey Rusty,
You were my Christmas present back in 2006.  Do you remember that?  That was the year me and Ken went on our cruise and moved into this house.  Ken snuck out a few days before Christmas and brought you home on December 19th.  Through all my happy sobbing I said, "Is he for us?"  The answer was yes.  Oh how I loved you.  I would get up early and take you in the back yard in all that snow just to play with you..  And be with you.  You'd sit on my lap in the easy chair covered in blankets while I read Harry Potter. You liked being under the blankets just like me.
You got really sick about a week after you came home.  Remember?  I took you to the vet and he said you wouldn't make it to the new year.   I told him to try anything to get you better.  It took about 24 hours for you to be back to your good old self.  You were a Christmas miracle.  You had a second loan out on life and we were going to live it up.  We took walks every day.  Remember the first time you saw another dog?  He was so much bigger than you!  You were just a pup and when he barked... you peed your pants.  I laughed about that for a long time.
Remember going to obedience school?  You were the class clown.  They asked us to leave early every single week.  Most people would be deterred by that.  Not us.  We were hungry for knowledge.  You didn't make any good friends there.  But we bonded.  I stood up for you week after week.  We made it through.  And you can sit, stay, down, and eat treats like nobodies business.
You really like going to AmeriPet.  The first time I took you there I cried when we dropped you off.  I was so worried.  Would you make friends?  Would you behave yourself?  Would they feed you the right amounts at the right times?  Would you remember me when I came to get you? I was so excited to pick you up. You were Mr. Popularity.  King of The Wild Bunch.  A real ring leader.  But best of all, you were really happy to see me.  You pulled on the leash the kid was carrying so hard he had to run to keep up with you.  You jumped right into my arms and smiled.  You wagged your tail the whole way home and then you slept.  For a full 24 hours.  Remember that?
Remember the first night you didn't sleep in your kennel?  I brought you down there like always and you just whined and whined and whined.  I told Ken something was up.  I went down and let you out.  You came upstairs and laid right at the top of the steps.  You decided you were a grown up who didn't need to sleep in a kennel.  I decided to let you try it for a night. "One night." I said. You did great.  I woke up and you were sleeping right outside my door.  All sleepy but happy to see me.  No kennel since then, huh? One night turned into four years.  You are there every morning waiting for me to wake up.
When we found out I had a brain tumor you knew somehow.  You were mellow that weekend.  Calm.  You would lay your head on my lap and listen to me cry.  You didn't mind that we didn't go for any walks for a few days.
I have loved you and cared for you and stood up for you for four years.  You have been my tender companion.  You are a great dog.  But, Russ, I have a new pup now.  His name is Kole.  And for some reason you don't really like him.  I wish I knew why.  I'm going to try to find a new home for you.  Is that okay?  Maybe then you can start going on walks again everyday.  And maybe someone there will be able to snuggle up with you and read her books.  I hope you always remember me.  You are my first dog.  I love you.

Always,
Mom