I miss him so much

This is Frank. I found him at the top of the bridge on December 17th 2024 just before midnight. He was just standing there and I pulled over because there was a car coming behind me. He walked over to me, I opened the door and he hopped in as if I was the Uber driver he was waiting for.

I drove back to my house and called the police and was told they would send someone to check him out. I was hesitant to take him into my little house because I had 3 cats inside and this was a very large dog that I did not know (but he seemed like a sweet boy). When the officers arrived they didn't find a chip and he had no collar on so they assumed he was dumped and told me to take him to a nearby shelter in the morning when they opened... Long story short all the shelters refused to take him because they were over capacity with it being the holiday season, and by the time I figured out the Cook County pound procedures he had been with me for over 48 hours and I had cooked him 6 pounds of chicken and rice, bought toys, dog food, a collar and a leash and we were having a grand old time and while the cats were not very fond of this huge thing in the house, he didn't seem to mind them and the kitties just stayed on elevated surfaces and all was well in our tiny house.

And so life went on, and we went on to the vet who told us that he was about 10 years old, probably a mastiff mix and other wise a healthy boy.

He loved all snacks for dogs, for humans and for cats. The sound of the fridge opening would wake him from the deepest of slumbers. We went for car rides, to the beach, to the Dairy Queen, to the pet store, to the groomer and even to Kentucky to go fishing. He loved his jackets, we had marching Crocs, and his latest love was his rubber piggy he picked out himself after our last vet visit when he caught a cold back in August. He carried it all the way to the car from the store. And when we got home he even took piggy for a walk with us.

He woke me up 3-4 times every night, to go potty or when his water bowl was empty, he covered my whole life in drool. He demanded (and got) all the snackies. But I just wish I could give him one more pig ear, take him for one more walk, grab his big head and give him one more kiss.

He was someone's trash but he was my greatest treasure I didn't know I needed.