Lean on Me

Today was a rough day.  My sweet, friendly, beautiful dog was put to sleep today.  My parents adopted her, a German Shepherd, my freshman year of college.  That was almost 5 years ago and she was such a loved member of my family.  

The song of the day is one of my favorite songs, 'Lean on Me,' by Bill Withers.

I went through a rough patch in college and then again when I started my first job.  I cherished seeing Tess on the weekends when I came home from school when in college and on the nights after a bad shift when I got home from work and nobody else was awake.  Tess was my steady companion and always made me feel loved, no matter what.  She never failed to show her excitement to see me.  I liked calling her Thumper because her tail thump was a frequent greeter when I arrived home.  When home, I could frequently be found on the floor petting or playing with her.  My sweet spot to pet her was on her tailbone, nobody else in the family pet her there but me, and she knew that.  Sometimes she would greet me with a bark and promptly turn around so her butt was the closest thing to me.  I loved it.  

The next time I go home and she isn't there to greet me is going to be a hard moment to swallow.

Tess and I had a special bond, the bond between a girl and her dog, or rather, the bond between her and her girl (me).