Well, dear ones: My companion of 16 years, Roadie, passed quietly this evening after a brief illness.
He did everything quietly, though. Unless he barked while visiting at the homes of his friends Jean or Tracellen while I was traveling, he had not done so for years.
About the only sounds he ever made were whimpers while dreaming of running in his sleep.
He had gone deaf over the last couple of years, and his eyesight was beginning to dim — after all, he was at least 18 years old. But he could sniff, and loved to do so on his morning and evening walks.
He had compression in his 5th-7th vertebrae, his vet in Sylva told me in 2015, and in his last few months I could tell that the walks — and especially the steps — were becoming more painful to him. His pace slowed. I closed off the staircases in the cottage so he wouldn’t try to follow me up- or downstairs and break a limb.
He was friendly to all creatures, from cats to other dogs to any person he ever met. He was fond of little ones, especially my grandson Kayson, and was happy to be a headrest and back pillow for him when he watched videos on my computer.
Many of you know that I often referred to him as Roadie, The World’s Sweetest Dog™️, and if any dog ever deserved that trademark, it was surely him.
Blog In My Own Eye 
I’m sorry. I know the attachment to our fur-babies is very real.
The hardest things to face in life, the loss of those we love, human and otherwise.
I am so sorry Keith, another dear friend just lost her cat and she told me, “I grieved and cried for four days.” Our pets are precious members of our families and they leave an empty place behind. I pray you will bless another pet by inviting it into your home and life.