In Memory of Oliver
January 20, 1993-April 30, 2004

Hi,

I am Oliver and I am no longer in this world. I went to the other side on April 30, 2004. Not because I didn't love it here, I was just very sick and tired. I was born January 20, 1993 so I was 11 years, 3 months and 10 days old when I went on my last trip.

I made my first trip when I was 8 weeks old. That was from one part of Denmark to a place near Copenhagen. Denmark is a small country, but it was a 6 hour long trip. 4 hours by car and 2 hours on a ferry. But I wasn't scared because I felt so safe and loved with my new parents. I lived in a house and every year I went on vacation with my parents. I have even been to France, but of course I only understood Danish. Then one day we were moving from the house. My father got a job in USA and I had to go on a plane. That wasn't too much fun, but as usual I wasn't scared. As a matter of fact I wasn't afraid of anything.

Anyway, in October 1995 we moved into a nice house in Oakland, NJ with a very large fenced yard and an in ground pool. But that didn't really have my interest. I hated to get wet. During spring 1996 I did see something unusual in the pool and I started barking like crazy, which I usually never did. My mother came running to see what was wrong and then she picked up the chipmunk who had fallen in the pool. It was very exhausted and cold so we placed it in the sun and I watched it while my mother went to get the camera. She trusted me that I wouldn't hurt it. After a couple of minutes the chipmunk started to move and then suddenly it ran away. I was a hero and both my parents made me feel very proud.

The 8 1/2 years I've spent in NJ have been wonderful. We have been on many trips by car. I've seen Toronto, Maine, Virginia Beach, Connecticut and even Central Park in NYC. My mother isn't working anymore so she took me to one of our 4 parks every day for a nice and long walk and on the weekends my father joined us.

My whole life I have been a strong and healthy dog.

But no one can stay young forever and during the last 6 months of my life I started to get sick. I had a bad ear infection and my vet also discovered a murmur on my heart. In November I had a cancer tumor removed and I also started to get some artrithis in my hips and legs. Then in April I started to feel dizzy and it became difficult for me to walk. My mother took me to the vet all the time and we also saw a cardiologist and a neurologist. My mother said that we could open a pharmacy with all the medication we had. My mother still took me to my favorite park so that I could sniff a little. She always told me that I needed to "read my daily paper" so that I could get the latest news.

I still had a good appetite and was able to tell my parents when I had to go out, but Thursday April 29 I suddenly wasn't able to drink water by myself anymore. Every time I felt thirsty I went to the water bowl, but I didn't know what to do. My mother gave me water with a small bottle so I was OK, but Friday morning April 30 when I didn't want to eat either she called our vet and I heard her saying "I think it's time".

3 hours later we went to the vet's office and said goodbye. My mother cried a lot, but she was with me till the end and after it was all over my father came and they both stayed with me for a while. I know that I was so loved and they often told me how special and beautiful I was. I know that I will never be forgotten, but I also know how empty and quiet the house must feel now when they don't hear me snoring and making all the other funny noises. But I will always be around and I even heard my mother say that she can feel me and hear me sometimes. I know they miss me so much and I miss them, too, but I'm also glad that they have decided to get a new little baby next spring. They will keep themselves busy during the summer and fall with lots of visitors and travelling to places where I couldn't have come with them.

Well, that was a little about me, Oliver, a lucky Frenchie who had a long and happy life.