Milo: The first time I saw him, he looked up at me with the most beautiful brown eyes from a cage at the animal control. He was a puppy, the cutest puppy I ever did see. I wanted him. I lived with a roommate in an apartment. It wasn’t really practical to have a dog at that time in my life, but the moment I saw him I loved him and wanted him to be mine. I left that day hoping I could get him off my mind and secretly wishing no one else would adopt him. I thought about him all day, all night, and the next morning I was sitting outside animal control waiting for them to open. He became mine that day. I loved him, he was like a child to me. We had a typical mom-son relationship. He covered me in kisses, slept with me, made me laugh (like the times he would jump head down, front feet first on my waterbed to make waves. As worried as I was about him popping it, all I could do was laugh.) He knew how to push my buttons too. Like the time I left him out of his crate for a whole day while I was in class and I came home to the couch blocking the door and nothing was left of the back of the couch. Oh, I was so mad….and it was only a $20 garage sale couch. I love how I would take him out in the snow and he would run through it, chest deep and jump, stick his nose in that cold snow and sneeze. He was with me through so many great times and through the heartaches I faced through college. There is just something about a dog, their loyalty is unexplainable. When I decided to move to Florida I asked my mom if he could stay with her. I was moving back into the dorms and my little puppy turned into a 50 lb. DOG. My mom has an acre of land and I knew he would love it there. He captured her heart. He always knew her as “Gramma” and when you’d ask him, “Where’s Gramma?” he would run and jump on her and cover her in big doggy kisses. He was a protector and killed many snakes in “Gramma’s” yard. And SMART. When my mom would see a snake she would grab her metal rake to kill it. When you’d ask Milo, “Where’s the snake?” he would grab that rake in his mouth, carry it around and growl. Oh how that would make us laugh. 12 years have passed since I moved to Florida. Every time we visit my mom, Milo was at the fence waiting and wimpering just to greet me. I LOVE that dog.
Today, we had to put him to sleep.
Death, it’s a sad thing. However, through each death I am reminded of just how precious life is, how quickly our lives pass us by. We waste so much time on things that don’t matter (at least I do.) Milo did not waste time. He spent his life enjoying God’s creation. Running, playing, not worrying about a thing. He knew he would be taken care of by his Master. He made others laugh, he comforted us when we were in pain, he forgave quickly, and most importantly he loved with all he was. May we all learn something from Milo.
I love you, Milo. You will be missed GREATLY!
