If we had known today was going to be the day, I know we would have done things completely different. We knew that with him being brachycephalic, we had to watch out for a lot to things, specifically heat and over exertion. When he was put under for his dental cleaning, we also discovered that he has an elongated soft palate. He snores, reverse sneezes, and snorts. These are noises that we have grown to expect and eventually tune out because they are constant. So when he sprawled out under my desk chair this morning and then suddenly he was silent, it caught me off guard. I then heard him struggling and began to tend to him. He was struggling to breath and as I picked him up and held him, I was there when he most suddenly went over the rainbow bridge. It was surreal! Absolutely surreal! It all happened in less than 7 minutes! Assumed by the local vet that he seized and aspirated, we are at peace with the fact that he went very quickly and was not alone.

Also with the fact he gave the biggest gift ever to Alexis. She was his EVERYTHING and he was her heart dog! He made her the Junior and handler that she is today. He taught her the skills and the patience to work with dogs. He alone helped her after almost a year of trying, to move from Novice to Open.  And as she struggles to earn her Eukanuba invitation, she has been loosing hope on that goal. Sunday he gave her the hope to go on and continue the fight. Between the tears we also smile at all he has given to this family. If I had only known this was going to be the last photo taken of our sweet Boomer! It will now be forever cherished.