BEST BUDDY

He came to live with us in May of 1995. We were told that he was the bully of his litter...a real rascal. But as I sat on a bale of hay in the barnyard, his ears perked up and he ran to me after first grabbing a leaf to share. He placed his paws on my leg and asked for a lift up as only a puppy's eyes can ask. Then he curled up in my lap and took a nap...I was hooked.
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He and I slept on the kitchen floor for the first week of his life with us. Every two hours I woke him up and we went outside to take care of business. Puppy bladders are not large and require frequent emptying. After the second time he'd already figured it out and would run to the door with his tail waging. 
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We stayed on the floor in the kitchen every night for the whole week until I was certain he was housebroken. He already knew the routine after 2 days and never had a single accident. I had a mat for him to lie on next to my sleeping bag, but on the 2nd day he crawled into the bag with me. J found us like this in the morning and snapped a pic. We named him Vinnie.....Vin Braveheart INXS to be exact.
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From then on he was with me every minute except when I was at work. When I left for school J said he'd do his best to get onto our bed and he'd stay there all day until his doggy radar told him I'd be home soon. Then he'd jump down and wait for me at the back door. I am in awe of doggy radar.
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One day I tired of leaving him home all day and asked permission to bring him to school with me. Permission denied, of course, but I never understood why. He was better behaved than the majority of the student body; if I told him to go lie down in the corner that's exactly what he'd do...and he'd stay there until I told him it was OK. The kids would have loved him and he them.
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He left us on this day in 2008. I still think of him every time I sit at the computer where he'd lie on my feet as I did my homework...so that if I should make even the slightest movement he'd know it and would be ready to do whatever I wanted to do. He never asked anything of me except to be a part of whatever I was doing. 
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I even keep his dog tag on my car key ring and I say "Good morning buddy" every day. I do miss him so. Tears.

EXTRA: Vinnie all grown up.

Best in Large.