I'm so very sorry to learn about Franks' passing and to go so quickly makes it even more painful. I share your loss 750 R1.
I lost my pal, Micah, three years ago although I did have a week from the onset of his illness until I had to send him on his way, I was still slammed by his loss. He was also only ten years old.
Something like six months later I adopted another pal. I named him SamWise. My wife has said that I love SamWise way more than I loved any of my previous dogs and I'm aware that I'm more engaged with him than I had been with Micah, Kamden, Kronus, Summit, and Cerberus, all who came before. But my engagement with SamWise runs much deeper than just he and I. When I connect with SamWise I'm really connecting with all my past pals through him and I'm very aware of that connection. It helps me every day.
As I said I share your loss.
Bill
Thanks everyone.
Bill, Its quite funny, my wife and I have had 3 dogs over a period of 38 years, all great dogs and well loved. Frank was my daughters little dog, A foxy/ Jack Russel cross, He was about 1 years old when we got him, even though we'd baby sat him numerous times. My daughter moved into a unit and couldn't have a pet, she wanted us to have him and I was dead set against it, he was an inside dog, our previous two were a Blue healer Cattle dog and a Pitbull / ridgeback cross , both outside only dogs, and I wasn't an inside dog type at all. The Girls talked me into it and I begrudgingly took him in. I already knew he was very smart, and I suspect he knew I didn't want him in the house, so he spent his time early on trying to suck up to me, I soon realised just how smart he was and I started warming to him. He was completely house trained in a matter of days, he just knew to go out side and do his thing, and not all over the yard, but in the compost heap. We would come and sit next to me on his hind legs with his paws out and I'd ask him what he wanted, he'd turn around and go to the door , he wanted to go out for a pee. He looked you in the eye and listened intently when you spoke to him, and you could tell he was working out what you were saying and hanging onto the words that mattered, he understood so many words. He had this washing basket full of toys and knew them all by name, you could tell him to go and get the pig, or the ball, or what ever toy and off he'd go and get it... He had his spot up on the back of the lounge that he'd sit in the day time, and around 9 at night he would just get up and go to his room, my daughters old room, and hop in his bed for the night, even on his last night the routine was the same... I'm really going to miss the little guy, he was a huge personality, my special little mate....