07/27/2026
PLEASE NO COMMENTS ON THIS HARD POST. It will only make me cry more than I already am. This is to let you know that my big, sweet gentle guy, my dog Larry, died, unexpectedly, a few weeks before I had my accident. The pain of losing him is far worse than my accident. He would have loved to be beside me on the sofa as I recover.
I brought him home 3 years ago, after watching him as I volunteered at Aheinz. I had lost my other 2 dogs within months of each other and wasn't sure I could get another dog, because losing them is so hard. All of us dog lovers know this pain. Larry, then known as Goliath, was rescued from deplorable outdoor conditions that he lived in for his first 4 years. I'm so thankful for Amy Heinz and the rescue crew who saved him and brought him to Aheinz where I volunteer. He lived at Aheinz for almost 2 years without being adopted. His life was pretty comfy there, with a huge kennel and large white leather couch. All of us volunteers and staff loved him, but it wasn't as good as a home. He would lay at the bottom of his kennel while I cleaned kennels down his row. When he would catch my eye, his whole 112 lb body would wiggle! He loved to have someone sit on his couch and give him attention. I partnered with another Best Buddy volunteer to take Goliath on a couple outings, including to my house and backyard. He had never lived in a home, but when he walked in, he looked around and recognized a sofa, so he jumped from the back and just enjoyed looking out the windows. He was scared of the TV with people talking, so we changed it to golf. That was OK. Shortly after, I brought him home knowing he wasn't going back. I'd never had a dog his size or breed. He was dog #13 for me. I've had all rescue/shelter dogs since age 9. Larry/Goliath turned out to be the most gentle, kind loving dog I've had. He was low maintenance and a huge couch potato. He LOVED the people he knew, especially my grandkids. He always greeted people with his whole body wiggling. He loved trips to get a treat at the drive up bank, a hamburger from Hardees and especially an ice cream cone from Frostees, along with all the little kids who would pet him. He loved playing with dogs at the dog park and going for walks. I'm still amazed at what a perfect gentleman he was in my home, especially since he'd never lived in a home. He never had an accident, never tore up anything, and never counter surfed(which would have been so easy). He was so loved and I had hoped to give him more good years to outweigh his bad years.He taught me to not judge a dog by their looks or their bark, just as we shouldn't judge people by their looks .
I MISS HIM TERRIBLY EVERY DAY.
Please no comments- I'm a mess posting this.
