Tribute To My Dog Rio He made me smile and he made me cry, but he always knew the right thing to do. He depended on me, without realizing how much I depended on him. As I held Rio as he took his last breath, I felt his soul leaving and somehow a part of me went with him. I felt so sad, yet a kind of calm wrapped around me -- knowing that he died without pain, held by the two people he loved the most. In our lives many of us have lived with many different pets and we loved them all -- but as a legacy, we're only allowed one special pet in our lives, and for me that was my buddy Rio. Denise and I shed our tears, even had our smiles over some of the nutty things he did. There's a lot more grieving ahead, but when I put my head on the pillow at night, I know he's looking down at me saying: "Thanks Pop, It's O.K. I've met all of the pets that you loved so dearly, and we're having a good time knowing that we will all be together with you again someday. Until then, thanks, I'll get back to you later, Pop. There's a squirrel running across the clouds that I need to chase." Warren Eckstein