Dogs are People Too!

"If love alone could have kept you here, you would have lived forever."

Meet Casper the black lab, he's running around in puppy heaven right now with all the squeaky toys, tennis balls, treats, and bones he could imagine. 

Casper was two years old when died.

If you have a dog, you know they are a member of your family, and my heart was broken on March 11, 2014 (yes, less than two short months ago) when he was hit by a car.  That afternoon I came home from work and ran upstairs to let him outside, my normal daily routine.  Casper never ran, he was always by side other than when he was doing his business.  I don't know why, but for whatever reason Casper ended up running into the street.  I live directly on Moravian, which is 45 mph, and when I heard a loud "thud" I knew what had happened before I even turned around.

I watched him roll to the middle of the street as I frantically ran out into traffic.  I could have been hit, I wasn't even paying attention when I looked up and saw cars stopped in both lanes; all that mattered was my companion, my loyal partner through thick and thin, was hurt.  The thought that he could die didn't even cross my mind.

The car that hit him didn't stop (what a coward), and as I tried to lift him out of the road a young girl pulled over to help, she wasn't strong enough to help me  and with her bottom lip quivering and glossy eyes, she apologized and got in her car to leave.  I thanked her and it was then that reality hit and tears streamed down my face that Casper might be dying.

As I held him I assessed his wounds: broken arm, probably needed stitches, a few more scrapes but those will heal.  I told him he would be okay as long as I could lift him to my car to a vet. 

I sat there on the side of Moravian in a puddle, holding Casper in my arms on my lap, all 60 lbs of the most loving creature I had the honor of caring for.  As blood trickled out of his mouth and his nose, I knew he was leaving me.  I said his name and with one last glance up at me, he was gone.  He was at peace, but I was a devastated wreck.

Telling that story is incredibly difficult for me, which is the reason I won't have a personal scrapbook page to show you to honor his memory.  When it's a little easier for me I will upload my memories of Casper fully decorated.  For now I will show some pages I searched for of ideas and inspirations I will use when I do decide to create my layouts of Casper.  The pictures above are the ones I will most likely be using and I'll probably create two pages side by side dedicated to him.

I love the simplicity of this "In Loving Memory" layout.  A simple color scheme with a few facts such as the adoption date of Java, first thoughts when they met her, and what they loved about her personality.

 This separated picture layout has always been one of my favorite because of the character it adds to a page by simply cutting and separating a photo.

 This is a playful layout and I love the splash of color throughout the page.  Casper loved his toys and I have plenty of photos of him holding onto his toys or bones for dear life.  I want to look at my layouts when I decide to create them and be reminded of happy, fun memories of him playing, swimming (he LOVED to swim), and cuddling with me.  In his two short years with me he made the biggest impact in my life, more than I could have ever thought possible from an animal.

This is how I will always remember my best friend, always by my side <3