Letter to my Puppy.

Dear Shady.
I feel weird writing you a letter, because you are a dog. So I feel like I should be writing: Bark bark bark, woof, howl, bark, whine, bark. But since I am not fluent in the language of dog, (if that really is a language...) I will write you in the words that I know how to use.
First things first. You are a good doggy. Not the little lap dog kind of "good dog" but a genuine kind of good dog. You have been my dog since I was 7, and you were a puppy. You were a big puppy. I remember that. You were taller, stronger, and better than all of the other puppies in that litter of grandpa's. But you weren't my dog, really. You were PJ's. He picked you out. He worked for grandpa to earn you, and you were his...but you were also mine. Your name was first Mauti, short for Mautimeous. (Probably spelled wrong. PJ was into weird english oldies then.) And then you became Slim Shady, (which we all thought was a bit gay...) And then Shady. You were really hyper for the first couple of years of your life. Always springing and jumping around. Leaving muddy pawprints all over the back window, and all over our clothes. You could jump as high as the top of the back door window, so there were always paw prints on everything. Watching you play fetch with PJ was always amazing. Your muscles rippled as you launched yourself after the ball, almost always catching it without another thought. remember when Mollie came home? She was just a tiny puppy. And you couldn't stand her. She would chase you around, and you would just ignore her, and pretend she wasn't there. That was, until you noticed she was a girl. It was at that point that you got fixed. It seems like when you were on drugs in our main level background that you were one of the cutest you've ever been. Just so out of it, and still wanting to play with us. It was after this point that you and Mollie became the best of pals. You were such a nice dog. You let her think that she was the Alpha, letting her boss you around like a little sister should, but standing your ground when she went to far. You two were always so much fun to watch. One of my favorite memories though, was going with you to Montana. You and Mollie swam and swam and SWAM! You've always been a dog that loved the water, but boy, holy moly. You were always in the water. Or running around the bay to catch up with PJ (while he was wakeboarding). That's another reason I loved you so much. You were so loyal to my brother, but also to our family. There was never a moment where I was scared to be home alone, because I knew I could open the door, and you would keep me safe. I'm sorry for the times where I didn't play with you because TV was more important. I'm sorry for feeling irritable when mom would make me go outside to make sure you had water. I'm sorry for the times when I called you "Dumb Dog" because you were being a dog, and I wasn't being patient. I hope your last few days didn't hurt. I hope you felt the love of our family in that examination room at the vets office. I hope you know that PJ loves you so much, he let you pee on him. (Even though you couldn't help it) Thank you for being there to always lick away my tears. Thank you for always hopping up on the back window, and reminding us that you were there. Thank you for always having enough energy to make your rounds at the couches and give everyone a lick, and ask for a nice head scratch. Thank you for always insisting on a belly rub. But mostly Shady, thank you for being a best friend to all of us. You were more than a dog. You were my friend. A brother. A member of the Judd family. You were Shady Judd, PJ's dog. I hope you know that our last good bye is something that I'll never forget. You put your head on my shoulder to give me a hug. You were comforting me, when you were the one that was dying. You, are a beautiful selfless angel, and you will never be forgotten.

I love you so much Shady.
Tell Grandpa hi for me.

I love you,
Alex.