A Dog's Life                                           More Photo Album           Home                              

Sacramento, California

January 18, 2006

 


 

Roger came to us in the spring of 1994, after Lisa, Danny and I fell in love with him during a visit to the SPCA. He was a high-spirited black lab who often drove us crazy with behaviors such as chewing through the side-yard fence and then sitting for hours on the front porch waiting for us to return home.  Or incessantly licking the sliding glass door when I took too long getting ready for our morning walks to the park. 

Twice, he tore the ligaments in his back legs while running faster than his body could handle, but both times bounced back from surgery stronger than ever. Traveling with a 90-pound dog wasn't easy, but when we were able to take him along, he loved the adventures -- especially going to the Russian River where he could swim and explore.  

 

But in December, the vet found a large tumor and over the past couple of weeks, Roger's energy began to wane.  Today, we had to make the painful decision to let him go. Lisa stayed home from school to comfort him until our appointment. By this afternoon, he could no longer walk and Danny gently carried him from the car into the vet's office. We were with him until the end and hope he knew how much we loved him. He was a mighty fine dog...