Buddy died 17 May 2006 after only a few hours of being ill.

He didn't suffer, but all of us who knew him, loved him to pieces because he was the sweetest most wonderful dog. All he wanted was some of my time and some food and he was always happy.

The night of 17 May I was sitting out on my deck, my eyes red and swollen from crying from giving him his release that afternoon, I saw Buddy in a cloud formation in the sky. It was definitely Buddy; I could see the white of his face, the dark big eyes and the gentle flowing ears. All around him there were other doggie faces, one was a pug, one a terrier. And I sat there and watched Buddy and his doggie friends move across the vivid blue until a wind came along and gently flowed through the cloud at first moving them slightly, then dispersing them through the sky. I think that was Buddy, traveling to Rainbow Bridge, with his friends.

Last Christmas was the first time I put up a tree without any family around. As I placed the star on top, I stepped back and felt sad to be alone. Buddy went and sat under the tree and looked up at me. "Mommy, I'm your present," he seemed to say.

At the dog park and Beagle outings he would make the rounds of all the people, stop in front of each one and look up. "Hi, I'm Buddy, I'm cute, do you have food?"

When we determined at the vet's that he was very ill, I lay down next to him and Pippin (my first BREW beagle) licked the tears from my face as I sobbed my heart out. He gently passed into doggie heaven, in my arms just like he always slept next to me at night, to a place where treats and rabbits are everywhere. I'm so glad he really was happy all the time, right up to that afternoon when he got sick.

I am so blessed to have had this wonderful Buddy in my life for two years.

-Grace