I lost my friend Sheba today. Sheba was my 8 month old Collie- Shepherd puppy. I'm going to miss her terribly, especially all the little things that made her dear to me.

I'm going to miss her fuzzy face.

I'm going to miss her flopped-over ears.

I'm going to miss her quizzical look every time I got out of a chair, as if to ask, "Where're we going now, Daddy?"

I'm going to miss the way she'd jump into my lap when I'd sit in a chair and call for her.

I'm going to miss the way she'd lay her muzzle on my shoulder from the back seat as we went for a ride in the car.

I'm going to miss the way she'd lie in front of the water bowl with her paws wrapped around it and her nose buried deep within, blowing bubbles.

I'm going to miss the way she'd lick my ears as I lay in bed reading at night.

Most of all, I'm going to miss the utter adoration she'd meet me with at the door after a rough day at work along with all the stories she'd tell me as she welcomed me home.

Sheba didn't die. She went to a new home. She left not because I'm a cad who felt he had to get rid of her but because she was my foster pet through Pets 4 You. The people who adopted her will love her as much as I did. How can I tell? The look of adoration they had for her as they got to know her in my living room. The daddy had a sparkle in his eyes as he rough-housed with her, knowing he was getting a "daddy's dog." His two sons had a sparkle in their eyes as they found they were getting a new playmate to grow up with. The mommy had a sparkle in her eyes as she found she had a new guardian to help her watch over her family. And Sheba got herself a loving family.

I will have a hole in my heart for a few days, perhaps even months, but now I can go on and save another Sheba from her Death Row internment at the pound.

Good luck in your new home, Sheba. I will love you always!