"seventeen puppies! oh! EIGHTeen pupppies! NINETEEN!"

zelda, el poochie grande, will soon be passing into the next world :( i can't remember the Age Before Zelda- literally, i have no memories from before i was 4. but whether my dad takes her to be put down tomorrow or she passes in the night, she'll be gone soon, and for the second time in less than five weeks i'll be making a big adjustment in my life. in some ways, losing zelda is a bigger and harder change than losing my grandfather; i know that sounds twisted, but i grew up living and loving zelda, whereas my grandfather i only saw a few times a year, and even less than that towards "the end." but i don't think it's going to be hard for me to look at dogs after she goes, not like it's hard for me to look at elderly men. my grandfather may have, on the surface, fit into the stereotypical mold of a jewish new york grandfather, but everytime i see an old man shuffling through wegmans, i get choked up. hell, i had a hard time watching the end of the return of the king last night because the makeup on ian holmes reminded me too much of my grandpa when i saw him in the nursing home.
well, at least they'll have eachother in that spiritual other-world.
zelda zelda zelda. you're one awesome pooch. it was a blast while it lasted, huh? and you sure hung in there till the end.