I lost my little black cat today...

[slightlv]

42. I lost my "helper" dog on Christmas morning, 3 years ago.

I didn't think I was going to make it through his death. I put helper in quotes, because he was never trained, but he learned, himself, to bring me what I needed and would help me get up off the floor by putting his head and shoulders under my chest and pushing up. Then he'd stand stock still so I could use him to raise myself the rest of the way.

Porter was a Leonburgher. Believe it or not, when he found us he weight 40 pounds and was near death. Took me a few months to get him to trust me enough to join us indoors. But he never left my side after that.

I've had a great many furry companions in my life... mostly cats. All of them have been special in their own way; but there are those few who plant their pawprints in your heart just a little bit deeper. For dogs, Porter was like that. Izzie was just one hell of a special cat. She nursed me through my hip replacement, and through all the problems and decisions I had to make for my mom. There was more than one time I held her and cried into her fur.

It's snowing outside; has been most of the day. They're saying maybe 4" by morning. All I can think of is to be grateful we gave her a burial and "funeral" on Thanksgiving Day, before all this happened. I don't think I could have lived with laying her to rest in a snow covered, cold grave.

Thank you for sharing your story with me, Bigman... we hold a shared memory of a type... Blessings.