sleeping white and blond dog

Vinny came to live with us when she was about six years old. She had been part of a puppy mill and in that time she lost an eye and most of her teeth. She was terrified of humans and hid wherever she could when a human was around. I would come home from work and lay on the floor with my arm stretched out with a treat for however long it would take before she would come out of hiding, take the treat and then proceed back to her hiding spot. At first, this would at times take as long as 30 or 40 minutes. After many weeks of this, she gradually learned to trust me and even enjoy me. After a year or so, Vinny and I were best friends. She went everywhere with me and was a very loyal and loving little dog. I often told people that God gave me this pup as a representation of my relationship with Christ. Because Jesus wants us to trust and accept him so that he can take care of us. Just like that pup came to trust an accept me so that I could care for her. And like the pup, Jesus wants us to develop a relationship with him and go everywhere with him during our daily lives, as Vinny did with me. While Vinny's first half of her life was terrible, I did everything I could to make the last half of her life as wonderful as I could. When she developed breast cancer in 2021, we took her in for surgery and aftercare to remove it. This gave her another two years of quality life before the cancer came back and metastasized throughout her body. It is with great sorrow and heavy heart that we had to let her go. Pup, you have been a very close friend and have taught me life lessons that only you could teach. Rest in peace my dear Vinny, you will be missed.