Denali, you were the first dog we adopted into our family. We fell in love with you when we saw you at PAWS in April of 1996. You were only five months old, and had the most enormous ears we had ever seen on a dog. You were so friendly and confident, and we immediately knew you were the dog for us.

Your early years were full of energy and love. We took you to obedience training and and to the dog park and even to puppy daycare. Your calm and confident nature made you comfortable in every situation. Over the years we added other canine "kids" to our family, and you took each new addition in stride. One of your favorite activities was to wrestle with your sister "Angel", and you made such strange sounding noises while playing with her that we nicknamed you "monkey boy".

After ten years in Washington we moved you and the rest of the family to Texas. As usual, you took the trip and the new surroundings in stride. You seemed to love the Texas sunshine and didn't seem to mind the heat and the humidity. As you got older we saw that you were slowing down, but when the end came it was all too sudden. The doctor diagnosed a ruptured tumor on your spleen and we knew we had to let you go. As we layed down on the floor with you we whispered to you how much we loved you while the doctor gave you that last, final shot. Having you in our lives for thirteen years just wasn't long enough. We love you and miss you. Have fun being reunited and playing with your sister "Angel" at the Rainbow Bridge, and know that your Mama and Papa love you both. We will see you soon.