June 6, 1994 was one of the happiest days of my life. I received a telephone call from friends up in Greeley. They were telling me that their dog was in labor, and my puppy would be born soon. I drove up from Denver, and missed his birth by only a few minutes.

The little bundle of joy looked a lot like a mouse or a lab rat. He certainly didn't look like a dog. I found myself thinking that there was some mistake, and that a rodent somehow made its way to the rest of the litter. At the same time, I immediately fell in love with him.

This little guy and I have shared many, many years that make for happy memories. There was the first time I took him home, just for a few hours (he wasn’t fully weaned). He howled the entire car ride. I laughed because it was just too cute.

I remember another instance where a friend and I were trying to get an old blueberry muffin that her dog found out of his mouth. As we were pinning down the dog, hands in his mouth, throwing bits of muffin away, there was my puppy, gleefully catching every bit in his mouth before we figured out what was going on.

There was the 1994 dog walk-a-thon. Oscar was still a pup, too young to make the loop around the entire park. I entered him in a “Cutest Dog” contest that day. He was so exhausted from his attempt that he slept the entire time. When his turn came up to be judged, the judge picked him up, he woke up for a second, yawned, licked her nose, and went back to sleep. I think that’s what cinched the title.

There was the time as a young dog, he decided to go exploring around the farm up in Greeley. He found an open cesspool that was being repaired and decided to take a swim. I found this cocker spaniel – what should have been white and buff but instead black and green from head to foot -- he looked a bit like my dog but certainly didn't smell like him.

There were the hunting trips, the walks in the park, the drives across the country -- all of which I remember with a smile. He never complained, he was just always happy to spend time doing fun things with his Dad.

I was so thankful that, when I introduced him to my wife, he took an immediate liking to her. We've become a very tight-knit family. He always thought of her as Mom, and oftentimes, it seemed as if he liked her better than me. I didn't mind. She taught him a few tricks that were absolutely adorable.

February 26, 2006 was, without a doubt, the saddest day of my life. This was the day that my wife and I had to say goodbye to Oscar. I will always remember all of the funny things that he did. I will always remember how affectionate and kind he was.

Right now, we know that Oscar is with God, showing Him all of those cute tricks that my wife taught him.