Last night I lost one of my best friends. OzZ my 12 year old BullMastiff died of a stroke exactly 24 hours ago. I now know the meaning of the word heartache, and how truly literal it is.

If there is a heaven, it's certain our animals are there waiting for us. Their lives become so intertwined with our own, it would take more than an archangel to unravel them. I will see you again OzZ!

He died as he had been born, and as he lived his life - in my care, and surrounded by people who loved him. Not the least hard thing to bear when he left me, is that he carried away with him so many years of my own life. I guess you don't really own a dog, you rent them, and I am grateful that I was given the gift of a long lease. If you have a dog, you will most certainly outlive it; to get a dog is to open yourself to profound joy and, prospectively, to equally profound sadness.

To call him a dog hardly seems to do him justice, though he had four legs, a tail, and barked, I admit he was a dog, to all outward appearances. But to those who knew him well, he was a perfect gentleman.

Your work is done buddy, it's time to rest. You took my heart and ran with it, and he's running still, fast and strong, a piece of my heart bound up with his, forever. This afternoon, I buried him in our back yard, —yet this isn't totally true.

~He really lies buried in my heart forever~

"OzZ"
aka: "picoweedy!, Peek-the-geek!, lubbug!"
1999-2012

Survived by his sister and best friend in all the world, "Fawn". She misses you buddy!