Out of all the ways humans have intentionally and unintentionally altered Mother Nature, the dog is the finest. We adopted Deuce, when he was 3 years old, from Dalmation Rescue, 12+ years ago. A couple of months ago, he was diagnosed with soft tissue sarcoma--an aggressive cancer that hardly deterred his zest for life, until a few days ago. And so, we made "that" decision. There was a recent story on Facebook making it's rounds, about a family putting their dog to sleep. The son quickly made sense of why dogs' lives are so short compared to human beings - basically stating that we are here to learn how to love and be nice to each other, and since dogs already know how to do this, they don't need to stay as long. I have a friend, a man of solid faith, who once said, "I believe God put dogs on this Earth, so that we can get a taste of His unconditional love." I suppose we all find a way to comprehend life and tough times, in any way that suits us or helps us cope. And although I love both of these ideas, I can't say that I have any specific way of understanding. I simply know that I am fortunate to experience all that I do, even the sadness. The reason letting go is so painful, is because there was so much goodness, silliness, sweetness, joy and love. The wonder and adage of "Who Rescued Who?" is fitting when we think about our lovey boy Deuce. Sharing these past 12 years with him, has made our lives more full and complete. Deuce -- a gentle soul, packaged in spots, and adorned with velvety ears, has passed on. Half of me is content to know that his failing body is resting in peace. The other half, envisions him surrounded by an infinite quantity of treats and running like hell.