i go to the vet today
to pick up a very very small box:
the cremains of a very small dog
with a very big heart.
a very old dog who i painted far less than the lessons he taught.
and as my eyes start to fill,
they are filled with a puppy –
his first time at the veterinarian’s
as i bring mine home from his last.
lessons and life never end.
Ministry of Animals 
Oh dear…these creatures lives are too short. In sympathy…
thank you! he was 21 wheels of the sun – well we approximate — he might have been 20 or 22 – we rescued each other so we never knew. too short? too long? i have no idea. but he is surely and sorely missed.