"Dogs are a man's best friend," that's what

He always told me. How little I

Knew when I first heard that.

I wish I had listened sooner, as you

Shiver in my arms. Your gray eyes have

Faded to yellow, and your once thick,

Luxorious fur is now matted and shed.

We had our good times and bad, ups and

Downs. I will never forget the day we

Brought you home. Your young eyes, fixed

To my own. "Friends for life," Dad said.

But our lives are not equivalent. You age

Faster, deteriorate. Your twelve years

Started when I was two, and now

Your days are tallied and null.

Don't you blink, because it's over before

You know it.