So long, dear pup!

This past Saturday we had to say goodbye to Teddy Bear, my pup who almost made it to age 17. Wow - can you believe he lived that long? He'd been having health problems for a while, but in the end I think it was the arthritis in his back and hind legs that got him - he apparently slipped and injured his legs and yelped every time he tried to sit down. I feel confident that it was the right time for him, and I'm so grateful that my mom, Nik, and Uncle Danny were there with him to the end. I'm sad that I could not be there. So, just for the Tedster, here's a little poem to send him on his way:

Ode to Teddy Bear

O' Teddy Bear, my geriatric pup
When we first met you were quite a hiccup
For my life was simple with two easy cats
Then you came along with your high maintenance combats
You whined and you followed and begged and were rude
All in the hopes of a morsel of my own human food.
But I realized soon that you just needed care,
So I walked you, fed you, and groomed your shaggy hair.
It was not long before you were my dog
Or I was your person (who remembers in this fog?)
You were ten years old when I brought you along
With me to SoCal - I didn't think you were so strong
That you would survive all these several last years
But you did it, you lived through the blood, sweat and tears.
Sometimes I resented having you but now I'm glad
That I gave you more than you would've otherwise had.
I wish I could've given you a fuller life
Because you deserved better than days of dull strife.
My saddest moment came when I left you with Mom
But it was also the best because she helped you along
And she gave you attention, walks and love
And treated you with the softest kid gloves.
I hope you enjoyed your last several months
In doggy retirement, on all relative fronts.
I hope that your final journey was peaceful in pass -
And that your soul is sunny, playing in grass.
I'm sorry I couldn't be there for you in the end
But you're in my heart, my short, furry, doe-eyed, devoted dear friend.