I lost my dog best friend of 13 years today.

[Awsi Dooger]

104. I still miss my toy poodle Apollo

My childhood buddy. He was hit by a car at age 8 on January 9, 1977. I fielded the call and had to go pick him up. What a sad lonely early evening walk that was. It was Super Bowl Sunday, an hour or so after the game ended. A good samaritan had placed Apollo in a box and called the number from his dog tag. I was the only one home to answer. The other family members had taken Apollo for a walk and lost track of him when they returned. I was doing homework in my room and had no idea he hadn't come back home with the family. I still have regrets over that.

The anniversary was last night. I now live close to where it happened. I walked around that block and stayed at the spot for a long time. Many cars stopped at the intersection and saw me standing there. Yes, I was crying...41 years later.

He was so smart. All of my friends raved at how smart Apollo was.