We adopted Parker when he was four months old from a local animal rescue. He was the last of litter, this sad little guy crying up a storm in his cage. One look into his sweet little eyes, and I knew I wasn't leaving empty handed. He quickly stole our hearts with his morning cuddles, greeting us at the door everyday after work, and his love for always being right by our side. One morning, Parker was not acting like himself, he wouldn't eat or drink, had no interest in playing, and was hardly moving. By that evening his breathing was very rapid and he was incredibly weak. We rushed to the nearest emergency veterinary center, Parker curled up in my arms the whole way there. We anxiously waited for test results. When the veterinarian called us back I had no idea she was going to tell us what she did. "Unfortunately... (my heart dropped) Parker is in heart failure." I was completely hysterical. How could this happen to my sweet, healthy, energetic boy? He wasn't even two. Although there were options for treatment, none of them allowed Parker to be happy again. We were able to tell him how much we loved him, how much we would miss him, and tell him goodbye- for that I will always be grateful. He crossed to the other side in my arms, with his dad right by his side. I know that Parker never lived a day with us that he didn't know he was loved beyond belief. If I could go back to the day I decided to bring him home, I wouldn't change a thing- we were so lucky to have him in our lives. I can only hope that someday we will get to see each other again.

Whitney Wiechmann
Grand Rapids, MI