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Hey, My Name is Winnipeg

Ten years ago, I welcomed a tiny gray bundle from Marianna, Florida into my life. She was a beautiful blue Great Dane with a silvery coat and big floppy ears that I later had clipped. When I made the move to south Florida, she was my traveling companion who rode shotgun with me between Kissimmee and Fort Myers every week.

After my divorce, she stayed with me and we formed such a strong bond that leaving her to travel was one of the hardest things I ever did. I could walk her without a leash because she never left my side for too long. I even had to hide suitcases from her because she knew that it meant I was leaving. She ran with me, leaned against me, slept with me, rode in the car with me. She lived through several other dogs here in the house, always by my side,

I said good-bye to her today. I've had a feeling for the last few weeks that she was slowing down. Last night, she started throwing up just before midnight. This morning she wanted to walk the entire length of the property here just before the sun came up, and I knew that today was going to be it. I prayed that God would take her quickly and not let her suffer.

We sat on the couch this morning for several hours, and I knew. She collapsed at the door at 2:45 this afternoon. I laid down next to her and wrapped my arms around her. Forty-five minutes later, my Winnipeg breathed her last breath in my arms. We wrapped her in her favorite blanket--an old comforter that she stole from me--and buried her outside.

I know dog people love their dogs, and I'm no different. This girl saw me through a major move, a divorce, the death of my mother, and a million other minor abrasions with life. There's a hole in my heart right now. There's an emptiness in my home right now. Winnipeg was one in a million, and everyone who ever met her would tell you that. Even people who hated dogs fell in love with her and said that they would take her in heart beat.

Good-bye, my sweet furry friend. This is such a sad day.

Winnipeg
September 28, 2006-January 1, 2017

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