Many of you know by now that last week we lost our dog Alma.  We had just arrived in California when we got a call from Don’s mom that Alma had wandered out of her sight and was lost.  After a long search she was found down the road, hit by a car.  Her back was broken and we had no choice by to make the call and end her suffering.  We know in our hearts that she was out determined to find us.  She has never strayed from the yard or attempted to go down the driveway to the road.  All we can think is that she was following Don’s sent and the trail that he runs along.

It was a very tough week being so far away.  We were in California for our good friends wedding, Don a groomsmen and me the official photographer.  We were lucky to be surrounded by friends and family all week.

It is our first day home and this cold dreary rainy day describes how I feel today.  The house is empty and I feel empty.

Don had Alma since she was 8 weeks old, she would have been 15 this May.  Alma was in my life for only six years but our bond was very strong.  We would always joke that she was my dog, as she was always by my side anywhere I went, she lived for me and I for her.

We will always have happy memories of Alma, though its hard now.  I miss her grogginess in the morning, her talking yawns, all her old woman behaviors.  Most of all I will miss our hugs, her ever so exciting greetings when we would come home, jumping around yelping barking and bounding around the house like she was a puppy again.  Her excitement when sitting to get a treat and her cute paw shakes.  She was a loyal companion in every sense of the word.

She certainly was much much more than just a dog to us.  She was a best friend, a member of the family.

She was a Hungarian sheep dog, a Puli, for those of you who haven’t seen many dogs like her. She was the first one I ever met.