In remembrance of Oso

Today, one of the dogs in my neighborhood died very suddenly. I still cannot believe it is true. A few days ago, this cute dog (Oso) was following me, Alex and the dogs home. And today, he is no longer with us. Oso was owned by one of my friend's neighbors. My friends saw this dog this morning and he seemed fine and his usual self. A few hours later, he was lying in the street, not able to even lift his head. My neighbor and I had discussed taking him into the vet. We were concerned that the owner did not have the financial means to do so. We discussed expressing our intentions to them. However, by supper time, he was gone, and it was too late.

Due to the suddenness of his death, the speculation is that someone poisoned the dog. Apparently, this has happened in the past in this neighborhood. I clearly have no evidence and am not saying that is what happened. If this is in fact true, I am so disheartened and disappointed in mankind.

This dog was a common fixture in the neighborhood. On my daily walks to and from home, I would see him several times a day. He would come up and play with my dogs, I would pet him, and then he would follow us home. It was like clockwork. And today, we did not see him. He was a part of our lives and I had come to grow very fond of him. I guess this whole situation makes me think about life, death, living in the moment, cherishing those we love in our lives, and remembering what is most important to us. I guess that is the reason why I felt compelled to write about this.

So today, I would like to say that I am thankful for everyone in my life, canines and humans alike. I appreciate every single one of you. You make my life worth living.