not a joke but from pat worth a share.

YOUR DOG

The  years go so very fast and before you know it that romping pup is
Old and grey muzzled and they have sat by our sides while we read, watch TV,
And work on our computers. Every so often they come and lay their heads in
Our laps, toss our elbow with their muzzle or gaze into our eyes and wait for
Us  to notice them.

Take a moment now to remember what they mean to  you:
I am your dog, and I have a little something I'd like to whisper in your ear. I know that you humans lead busy lives. Some have to  work, some have children to raise. It always seems like you are running here  and running there, often much too fast, often never noticing the truly grand  things in life.

Look down at me now, while you sit there at your  computer. See the way my dark brown eyes look at yours? They are slightly  cloudy now. That comes with age. The gray hairs are beginning to ring my soft muzzle.

You smile at me; I see love in your eyes. What do you  see in mine? Do you see a spirit? A soul inside, who loves you as no other could in the world?
A spirit that would forgive all trespasses of prior wrong doing for just a simple moment of your time? That is all I ask. To slow down, if even for a few minutes, to be with me.

So many times  you have been saddened by the words you read on that screen,
Of others of my kind, passing. Sometimes we die young and oh so quickly,
Sometimes so  suddenly it wrenches your heart out of your throat.
Sometimes, we age so slowly before your eyes that you may not even seem to know until the very end, when we look at you with grizzled muzzles and cataract clouded eyes.
Still the love is always there, even when we must take that long sleep,
To run free in a distant land.

I may not be here tomorrow; I may not be  here next week. Someday you
Will shed the water from your eyes, that humans  have when deep grief fills
Their souls, and you will be angry at yourself  that you did not have just
"one more day " with me. Because I love you so,  your sorrow touches my spirit and grieves me.

We have NOW, together.  So come, sit down here next to me on the floor,
And look deep into my eyes.  What do you see? If you look hard and deep
Enough we will talk, you and I,  heart to heart. Come to me not as "alpha" or as
"trainer" or even "Mom or  Dad," come to me as a living soul and stroke my
Fur and let us look deep  into one another's eyes and talk. I may tell you
Something about the fun of  chasing a tennis ball, or I may tell you something
Profound about myself, or even life in general.

You decided to have me in your life because you  wanted a soul to share such
Things with. Someone very different from you,  and here I am. I am a dog,
But I am alive. I feel emotion, I feel physical  senses, and I can revel in the
Differences of our spirits and  souls.

I do not think of you as a "Dog on two feet" -- I know what  you are and who
You are. You are human, in all your quirkiness, and I love you still.

Now, come sit with me, on the floor. Enter my world, and  let time slow
Down if only for 15 minutes. Look deep into my eyes, and  whisper into my ears.
Speak with your heart, with your joy, and I will know  your true self.
We may not have tomorrow, but we do have today, and life is oh so very short.

So please--come sit with me now and let us share  these precious moments we
Have together.

- Love, on behalf of canines  everywhere.
Your Dog

Author Unknown

so lovely and so very true Max is my first family dog and each time i read of others losing their dogs it provokes tears - we know our dogs lives are limited so we really do need to make the most of their time with us and I guess no matter how many dogs go through your lives each and every one of them will leave a mark on your heart

That is absolutely beautiful and so very true