By: Savanah Eve Stewart, age 12

I was at Memaw and Pawpaw’s house visiting when my dad asked me if I wanted to go and see a beautiful, black lab that needed a home.  I was only 5 years old, but I was old enough to be excited over possibly getting a new pet.  The dog’s name was Bishop and his owner had died from a heart attack.  When I first saw Bishop he looked very sad and lonely.  At first I was scared of him because he was so much bigger than me.  I quickly realized that I had nothing to be afraid of, even though he was a big, black dog.  He was extremely kind and gentle.  We spent the afternoon throwing the tennis ball for him and immediately knew that he was ours.

I know some people say a dog is a man’s best friend but in our house Bishop was everyone’s best friend.  Bishop was extremely protective over me, my mom and my sisters.  We never felt afraid when he was around.  Bishop was 7 years old when we adopted him.  He lived to be 14 years old.  During the 7 years that we had him he always gave us his best.  I didn’t only think of him as a friend but as a buddy too!

This past August Bishop lost his battle with cancer.  Our vet, Dr. Kuykendal helped my mom and me to end Bishop’s suffering.  It was very hard for us to let him go even though we knew that he was going to a better place.  Not only did my mom and I cry so did Dr. K.  Not a day has gone by that I don’t think of the good times that we spent together.  I never thought that I would want another dog.  I truly believe that no dog could replace Bishop.  Towards the end of September we started talking about adopting another older lab.  We looked at several rescue sites but nothing seemed like the right dog.  Last week we took some supplies that we had collected to the Lee County Humane Society.  When we first walked in the door there was a pen with 3 little lab puppies.  Only one of them was black and he looked like a miniature Bishop.  It was love at first sight.  We brought him home on Friday.  We named him Shadow in honor of Bishop.  I hope that Shadow grows up to be as special as Bishop.  Though I will never forget Bishop I realize that life must go on.  I like to think that Bishop is in heaven smiling down on me and happy to know that I have given another dog a chance to have a loving home.

One of the aspects that allows dogs to get into our hearts is that no matter how bad our day has been, they are always glad to see you and can bring a smile to your face. Losing a longtime friend is tough on everyone, especially a child that has never been without him/her. I am glad that I was able to get to know Bishop over the years and that I was able to help him and give him peace and rest.
Dr. Dan Kuykendall