Dear Gavin

I thought you would be bigger. I love it here, my girlfriend and a couple of my buddies met me at the gate and we play all day together. I don't hurt anymore and I can run as fast as I want after tennis balls. So many tennis balls! And, when you are destroying a toy on the floor or sneaking into her room to snatch a shoe like I used to do; I climb onto the couch with her and I know she can feel me as I wiggle around on my back and sound off my love grumbles just like we did every morning for my favorite, belly rubs! I stayed as long as I could and I kissed away so many tears like I see you do sometimes. She thought she was hiding her sadness about me from me, but I knew. I see her smiling a lot now.

I loved to laugh, please make her laugh as much as you can. She will re-pay you so well. And, when you are afraid of something, she will know and she may look silly doing it but will help you. Her food is boring but she won't make you eat it. Because I was such a good boy, I was allowed to lay my head on her lap while she ate. You have some things to learn. She tried to get me to eat green stuff a couple times, just spit it out and she'll stop. 

You will meet so many nice people, no one will ever be mean to you again. If you hurt, she will take you to places where they sometimes poke you and do weird things but it will somehow make you feel good. There was this tall, goofy looking guy at the place where they'd crack my back (boy, did it feel good) and he was so easy to train. All I had to do was spin in circles, shake my paw and do a little bow and he magically gave me treats. She taught me to do those things but whenever I did them on my own for new people, I always got cookies. There were a few other people who were total suckers; some of them I just stared at and wagged my tail and they would give me part of their sandwich or even go to the fridge for hot dogs. Her stepdad used to sneak me sausage while he was cooking, I think she knew but she never said anything and if her friend Sheila was over; I would wait for our mom to go to another room and I would just stand in front of her, she would call me "Bug" then get me hot dogs from the fridge. Kate and Colleen are easy marks too. Colleen was this nice lady that walked me on Sundays. She was just as patient as our heart mom with me on the stairs and it was so much fun to bark at her. She gave me treats when I did it so I barked even more and laughed; she used to sing "You are My Sunshine" to me, I liked it. If you even glance Kate's way, she'll give you part of her sandwich. I liked her so much. She let me swim in her pool and when I was ready to give up, we lived in her basement.

I see you like car rides, boy you are in luck. We took so many trips, I'm sure I lifted my leg in at least eight states that I can remember. And, if you like swimming, you will get to go to the beach with her in the summer, I didn't like it when it was cold so we went hiking instead. She will call you all sorts of different names but you will always know she is talking to you by the tone of her voice. Once, I was being ornery at the beach and some guy came over to meet me, he called me "Doofus" because she had said it so much.  My favorite nickname ever was "Nugget" because chicken nuggets were so delicious and they made thunderstorms easier to ride out, I wasn't scared of them when I was your age. And, sometimes I lay my head on her shoulder with you while she's driving. She sings a lot in the car, you will get used to it. 

She sometimes falls, just get up and check on her. One night we went out for a pee (well, I went out for a pee) she always came outside with me because she said she didn't want anyone to take me from the front yard. It was so icy, I almost slipped on those steps! I heard a "thunk!"and turned around to see she slipped and she hit her head. I kissed her face over and over until she woke up. She told her neighbors I saved her life and we stayed up together all night long to make sure she didn't have a concussion. I scored plenty of treats that night!

Oh, and she will kiss you A LOT. At first you will want to swat her away with your paw but, between you and me, I loved it more and more every year and made humming sounds when she'd pet me. If you make noises when she is doing things you like, she will know and keep doing it. I used to get super annoyed that I had to go to my bed before I ate but once I slipped on the floor by my bowl and was so nervous to go back over there. She figured it out and fed me on my bed after that. I liked it a lot. I got to slurp up my food while she smiled at me, man, you are so lucky. Every year they came out with new food and bones, she let me try them all! She never got mad either when my food dropped into her cup with a handle. I don't know what was in it, but after she drank it in the mornings, she didn't walk into walls

anymore.

Well, that's all for now. I'm gonna go hang out with her Papaw. He tells me stories of her way before I knew her and they make me laugh. I met him before when I was at his house, chewing on a bone. His darn little dog barked and barked and barked at me, I couldn't get any peace.  I finally told that dog to shove it with a giant roar, you woulda laughed his head shook I hollered so loud at him. But, I was just trying to enjoy my bone and he wouldn't leave me alone. Our mom knew I would have never hurt him. But her Papaw throws the ball over and over then sits with me by the water; it reminds me of all the fun she and I used to have together at Lake Geneva. Balls rule, don't they?

They say it's better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all, little dog. Make sure she knows I'm happy and I want her to be that way too.

Cheers!
Finn