Sprawly

Sprawly was the best dog anyone could have ever had. In all of my thirteen years, I have never had a better friend. The day I found out that he had died, I was devastated.

Sprawly was a beautiful Golden Retriever. He had beautiful golden fur with a reddish tint. He had a powerful chest and strong legs. He was the most handsome dog there ever was. Besides all of that, he was a friendly, energetic dog, who could love like no other. He was my best friend and I was his.

Sprawly and I used to love to go to the beach at Half-Moon Bay. I used to bring a couple of tennis balls and a picnic lunch. My Nana was there, too. She would bring us to the beach. When we would be driving through the mountains to get there, he would lie across my lap in the back seat. When we neared the beach, he would stand up over me and wag his tail joyfully! "We're near the beach," he seemed to know.

At the beach, we would play in the water for a long time. When I was all wrinkled, from being in the water too long, we would get out, and I would have my picnic with Nana. Sprawly would lie down for a few minutes, but then he would start digging a hole in the sand, right next to our picnic blanket. At the beach, sandwiches always had special meaning. One of the many things I enjoyed about Sprawly was that he never seemed to get old. Even when he got into the double-digits, he was as spirited as ever. He would never get tired of the beach.

All of this took place in California when I was pretty young, but to this day, all the memories are clear. I will never forget the day when Sprawly died. He had been lying next to my Nana's bed. Nana got up to take care of business, and when she came back, she noticed that Sprawly wasn't moving. Naturally concerned, Nana crouched down and looked him over. That's when she realized he wasn't feeling well and was very much in pain. She called the vet and explained Sprawly's symptoms. She was told to bring him in right away. After Sprawly was examined, Nana was told that Sprawly had a tumor in his throat . . . he needed to be put to sleep.

After being put to sleep, he was cremated. Nana spread his ashes along the riptide of Half-Moon Bay, where he will forever run free with the waves.

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