He adored swimming and wild camping, and was my wife’s constant companion after she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Later, he reminded me that life goes on

In 2000 my wife, Carolyn, was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Then, in 2001, our much-loved labrador, Sam, had to be put to sleep on the cold floor of the vet’s treatment room. This was a miserable end for such a wonderful friend, as we only had five minutes with him after he left us.

Seeing how terribly upset we were, the vet informed us of a family that were looking to rehome their year-old golden retriever, Jake. We immediately went to see them. As soon as we sat down, Jake came and sat in front of me, seeming to know what was about to happen. We’ve bonded, I thought. Thinking he loved his new family, we took him home with us. While it’s true that Jake indeed loved us dearly, it was also true that Jake loved everyone, and in turn everyone loved him.