Java became part of our family after Christmas of 2008. She was a Toy Aussie/Rat Terrier mix and the runt of the litter. Over the next sixteen years and four months, Java became an integral part of our daily life. She was incredibly smart, loyal, and full of energy. Java’s little quirks, habits, and personality brought quite a few laughs to us. As with any pet, there were times of frustration but the good memories far outweigh the bad ones. As Java’s health declined over the past few months, we were faced with the difficult decision of alleviating her pain and suffering. Some time back, we had purchased a small, white, heart shaped tag with Java’s name on it and attached that to her collar. Java left us on December 3, 2025, and we hung her collar and tags on our Christmas tree. A few days later, I decided to see what was on the reverse side of that tag and found the words, “I know I am cute, but you can’t keep me.” How true that is. Java was a cute dog and there was no way we could keep her in the pain she was suffering with. We greatly miss Java, but the words on the back of the tag serve as a reminder that even though we love our pets, we cannot keep them forever, but we can keep their memories close to us.
