A Loss in the Family

This morning, my grand father took Keiko, his golden retriever, for a walk. They finished the walk, she came and lay down next to him...and died. She was in good health, and was not quite 7 years old.

We're worried about my grandfather by himself now. He's 89, and it's sad to say but it never occurred to any of us that Keiko would die before he did. The rest of the family is trying to figure out what to do so that he doesn't lose himself, but first we need to give him time to grieve.

I'll remember Keiko as the dog who loved being pet so much, would lean in to it so much, that if you stopped petting her she would fall over. She was sweet, loving, amazingly well trained, and just a great dog all the way around. When mom told me on the phone that she had bad news, it was the last thing I ever thought she'd say.

I feel like I oughta say more, but I just can't think of what else to say. We'll miss you, Keiko.