When You Lose Your Best Friend

Words cannot express the pain Her Majesty and I are going through this afternoon. My beautiful dog and best friend, Charlie, is dead. The tears I've shed these past two hours are real and the pain is beyond what one would fathom.

Some might say it's too soon to write about this. Maybe so but I had to do it anyway.

Charlie and I had walked to the end of the block to get the mail. Before I go on you should know we live on a U-shaped street with virtually little or no traffic. The locals are conscious of the way they drive. They're very careful to keep their speed at 15 or less. In this case it wasn't that way.

My neighbor from across the street lives the winter in Arizona but was home for one day. We met in the middle of the street to chat. Charlie was on the parking sniffing grass when, for some reason, he bolted and ran into the street. The car who had dropped off my neighbor had driven to the end of the street and made a U-turn coming back toward us. My poor buddy was hit and now he's gone. It happened that quickly. Regrets: I'm normally very careful when Charlie is with me not on a leash. I look out for danger. If I had only known the vehicle in question had made a U-turn----------------. I thought he had driven on to the exit his car was pointed at the other end of the block.

My best friend was nine years old January 14. He was a three time rescue who lived two horrid lives. There is no way he should have been such a wonderful companion after what he had been through. Everyone of our neighbors loved him. He was that kind of a pal. He loved to be petted and especially have his belly rubbed even by strangers which says a great deal about his self.

Later on, when I've regained my composure, I'll write more about him. The tears I have today are non-stop. I cannot go on with this any longer. All I ask is you look at his picture and remember my very best friend; the one who gave us unconditional love.