Hi Hawk, I'm putting this post here cause it is very personal and I knew I could only come to with this.... A family friend died today... his name was Blackie... he was a black lab.... he was given to us 9 years ago and we think he was about 5 or 6 at that time.... my youngest was only about 6 months old when we got him.... he was basically our first family dog.... he was a good guy... he loved to fetch.... (he was like the dog in dr doolittle who said "c'mon throw the ball" ) I'm sorry, but I'm now crying as I write this... It seems he never really had a "home" before he came to us... after we got him we got two other dogs... my little american eskimo "noel" we got only a couple years after him and then my big ol rotty/lab cross "Rab" cane into our family a few years after that....they were our pack...lol... blackie was the old guy with all his wisdom, noel was the "bitch" but she loved him... she was just a pup when when we got her and she seemed to bring life back to him... she looked up to him, you could tell.  When we brought RAB home and he was just a little guy, I know he annoyed blackie, but blackie taught him the rules of the house and they became great friends... Rab would kiss blackie like crazy!!!  Noel stayed insid more cause she is small and Rab and blackie being rather large stayed outside, especially since blackie liked to mark his terrortory when we let him inside, i house trained rab, but i made him stay outside with blackie since I couldnt retrain blackie to not mark inside....Now for the bad stuff.... In the last month or so my hubby has been saying how he is noticing blackie is going down hill... I said...nahhh, blackie is old but he is fine....but,  in the past couple weeks I saw that blackie was not able to get up on his own..today when I went out to give them treats, blackie didnt get up....he was breathing and everything but he didnt get up....he did lift up his head so i thought he was just really sleepy............. only one hour later when I checked on them blackie was gone...he had died...I feel so bad that I didnt go out there to tell him goddbye.... I didnt know he was going..... my hubby took him an buried him... now my other two dogs are acting weird... they seem really sad... I know they must be wondering where he is... how can I help them?  they seem to be looking for him and I know he isnt comming back but I have no way of telling them that.......anyways... i dont what else to say.... I know he is all better now... no pain... but I am sad and my kids are sad and my hubby is extremly sad and most of all my other dogs are sad?    I have explained it to my kids, but how do help my dogs? they are so sad....Noel being small is almost always inside, but Rab has always had the comfort of blackie outside... now we have had rab inside all day since it happend.. he is 130 lbs... he seems to like it...if u have any words of wisdom I need them... I know you do... thanks in advance hawk.... I know I could come to with this... Love, Ren....

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