Taz - A Wonderful Story And A Must Read For All Dog Owners

by Mandi
(Reno, NV)

I met Taz in the summer of 1996. My dad is in the Air Force and we hadn't been stationed in Las Vegas long. No matter where we lived I always remembered having a dog in my life and for the first time, I was companionless.

My dad had a friend who could not give Taz the time and exercise he needed, so he brought him over just to see how Taz would like our home. The backyard was big enough for him to run after the farthest thrown tennis ball and this sold him.

That first night I slept with Taz in my arms and I woke up to a tennis ball dropped on my face. We played fetch for hours and he never slowed down and never got tired.

I actually threw the ball so much I fell in love with throwing and earned scholarships playing softball.

Taz was there for my first home run and he is now 15 while I will be 19 this summer. I am in college and my biggest fear is that he will pass without giving me a chance to say goodbye.

The first thing I do whenever I am home is push away our 13 year old pit bull mix, Princess (nickname Jealous), and our insane 3 year old rott/chow, Bear, to take Taz into my arms, tell him I love him, and that nobody could ever take his place.

My fears disperse once I throw his tennis ball and I see that dog take off like not a day has passed since our first summer. He never wants to stop and he never wants to be tired.

The day he leaves me I may break down, but before I leave back for Reno after breaks, I always make sure he knows that he is my best friend and one of the best parts of my life .

To everyone with old dogs; their life is too short to spend it yelling at them or locking them away, when all they want is to be by your side. They are the only ones that will love you more than they love themselves. So take a page from their book and love your dog everyday like it is their last day on Earth.