Dear Ollie

Dear Ollie,

It didn't take your death for us to realize how lucky we were to have known you. We knew that we were lucky all along. Even if we had somehow been oblivious to how special you were, we would have eventually realized it from the never ending comments and compliments that you received from friends and perfect strangers. When we first met your litter we immediately had our eye on you. You were our perfect match and you were meant to be with us.

In the first few weeks of having you in our lives we couldn't believe how many people, especially complete strangers, would approach us on the street to tell us how amazing you were. At first we thought that it was just because you were a puppy. OBVIOUSLY puppies are cute, and you were no exception. But it didn't stop. The attention kept coming long after you outgrew your puppy stage. Sometimes we would leave you outside of a restaurant or store and would watch dozens upon dozens of people flock to you just to give you love. When they would discover that we were your parents they would gush over your sweet demeanor and handsome looks. Your dad used to joke that your head was going to be rubbed off by the time we got back to you. We wondered to ourselves if all dogs get the same reaction that you did or if you were something special. We knew that WE loved you, but how did you stop so many people in their tracks? We were told every single day that we were lucky to have you as a dog and we never doubted it.

In your short 2 1/2 years you became very popular. You went everywhere that your dad went and saw everyone that he saw. From job sites to lumberyards, gas stations to hardware stores, the Cafe, Lexi's sports games, parties, boats and weekend getaways. When we got in the car it was rarely ever a question of whether or not you would be joining us.... you were part of our family. When the news of your death spread we were flooded with comments, calls and messages from friends who had been affected by your life. So many people missed you, loved you and couldn't believe that you were gone.

Do we wish that we had done anything differently? Of course. You may not understand this, but sometimes humans take things for granted.... even the things that we love the most. We take each other, our jobs, our homes, our food, our vehicles, opportunities and... our pets for granted. I know that you don't understand this because you appreciated every single thing in your life. You treated every meal, walk, game, boat ride, snuggle on the bed and moment with us as if it were your last. You especially never took us, your family, for granted. You were there when we needed you, patient when we didn't have time and appreciative when we did.

If we had known that you were going to leave us so soon, we probably would have fed you another bone, taken you on a long walk, let you ride in the front seat all day long, let you eat the cat food in the pantry without being yelled at, given you more room in the back of the Suburban, been grateful that you loved us enough to follow us around rather than annoyed, taken you for one more swim in the freezing ocean, let you shake your wet fur all over us... I could go on and on. The point is that while we loved you more and more every day, we still took your devotion for granted. But thank you for never doing the same to us.

We know that you had a good life, heck you had a GREAT life. What other dog spends every single day with his dad, plays in lakes and the ocean, rides on a jet skis, snowmobiles, excavators and goes tubing on a lake with a bunch of kids? You lived life to the fullest and never passed on an opportunity for fun.

Even though you may have been a little jealous of Kiera at 1st, you didn't show it. You loved her and the attention that she gave you. "Ollie" was her 1st word... even if she didn't say it perfectly. You were the reason that she learned to clap and as soon as we pulled her into bed with us every morning she would pat the bed and call your name to jump up and join us. I think that it was some kind of deal that you 2 had worked out ;)

Thank you for sleeping in bed with Lexi every night - it comforted her and she misses you more than you could know. She has had a hard time sleeping since you left. Thank you for potentially saving our lives. You went out in a blaze of glory. We know that you sensed danger near your family and ran toward that bear to protect us, but we are so sad that it cost you your life. It doesn't surprise anyone that you would do such a thing though, because you loved us more than anything. No other dog will ever compare to you in our eyes.

Thank you for sharing your amazing life and spirit with us and for reminding us how quickly we can lose our loved ones. Thank you for protecting us and for loving us unconditionally. You will always be remembered as the dog that saved our lives :)