We said goodbye to a member of our fuzzy family this week. My parents adopted Amos when I was a senior in high school. I will never forget my dad bringing him home. It was late January and it was snowing. Wrapped in his coat was this little black fur ball. Amos didn’t stay little long; he actually grew into a 100 pound lab that thought he was a lap dog. Amos was my dad’s dog, but he holds a special place in all of our hearts.

Amos has definitely put us through the paces over the years. When he was a puppy he would climb the baby gate and hang his front legs over it. He would bark and bark and bark and bark!!! He drove my mom crazy. My mom couldn’t wait for my dad to return from work because he never acted that way when he was home. Amos was a chewer! Amos chewed the corners off the cabinets, pulled the wallpaper off the walls, ate a brand new cell phone, and ate more rocks than one can count. Despite these incidents, Amos loved everyone!

Amos actually stayed with us, when I was on pregnant and on bed rest with Bug (my daughter). He was my constant companion, during the hours of lying. What can I say; it gave me someone to talk to. When Bug was born, Amos immediately fell in love with her. Bug coined his nickname “Big Buddy”! Bug loved to play with Amos. He didn’t care if she rolled all over him or stepped on him, he just loved her. Bug loved to get in the floor and play with him. She actually got to see him the day before he died and say her goodbye.

Amos was an even bigger companion to my dad. My dad and Amos loved to hang out in the garage together, go on golf cart rides, and go bye-bye in the truck. Wherever my dad was, Amos wasn’t too far behind!

Unfortunately, Amos had to be put to sleep. He had very advanced cancer and was suffering. The vet told us, he might have 2-3 more weeks and they wouldn’t be easy. We decided that we loved him too much to let him suffer.

Amos’ death has hit us all pretty hard. When I told Bug, she got this real serious look of confusion and concern on her face. I know there will be more questions and tears when she visits my parents. I know our hearts are going to always love our Big Buddy! He was a great dog and we had a great 10 years with him!

Here are some special pictures of Amos.