I lost my dog

Not the kind where you have to post sign on telephone poles and offer a reward...but the sad one.
His name was Vegas and I had had him for 9 years. I got him from the pound when I lived in NM. He was full of spunk, love and enough urine to fill Lake Erie. He was a perfect blend of protector, marshmallow and buddy.
We were at the Beach with him and we had just returned from a walk. During the walk he had the same energy that had strengthened our arms and worn holes in our shoes. But, after eating breakfast he wasn't the same dog. Pittsburghbeauty (my lovely wife) had gone shopping and I was left to get the house ready for the renters. Now, you have to know Vegas....wherever someone was, he had to be there. you could be moving from one part of the room to another and he would lift his head up to make sure he could still see you. I was moving from room to room, but no Vegas. I would return to the living room and there he would be...panting. When Pittsburghbeauty returned he had still only moved just a bit, was but still panting. We began our search for a Vet in Bethany Beach, DE. It was not easy we finally found one...and drove the 45 minutes to Salisbury, MD. By the time we arrived he was not my dog anymore....I won't go into details but enough to say from beginning to end he was dead in 4 hours. The staff in "Pet ER" in Salisbury were amazing, I couldn't of asked for a better staff.
He was a great dog. We loved him dearly.
I consider myself a strong person. I can tell you that it has been years since I have cried as much as I have the past 2 days. It is amazing the impact people and pets can have in your life, and not even know it until they have are gone. Like Janis Joplin sang "Why does it always seem to be, you don't know what you got 'til its gone?"
So, if you have a dog, a cat, or anyone/thing you don't say I love you enough to. Grab them and kiss them and tell them what they mean to you.
P.S. We lost Vegas to Canine Bloating. A fatal Canine illness. If you want to read more on it you can go to http://my.en.com/~reddogs/bloat.htm