I met Zeppelin on August 17, 2017, after adopting him from a rescue online. I saw him and fell in love with his beautiful brown eyes. The rescue people said he was a Great Pyrenees/Golden Retriever. I was very familiar with Retrievers, but I had never heard of Great Pyrenees.

I had a checklist of all the important things I wanted in a dog: they must be a running partner, leash trained, mustn’t drool or shed, and be medium sized. From his description online, Zeppelin was a perfect match. I spoke at length to the rescue to make sure. They told me Zeppelin weighed 65 pounds, would maybe get up to 80 pounds and that he would make a wonderful running partner.

When I picked him up five days later, I discovered Zeppelin weighed 90 pounds at eight months – he eventually weighed 135 pounds! He definitely wasn’t leash trained, and there was drool and hair everywhere. I had to quit running, although he did love hikes – although they couldn’t even be considered a fast walk.

I had no idea how much my life would change because of a pup. I had Zeppelin for almost six years and through him I learned so much about life, love, and patience. He was my whole world. I put every bit of my love and energy into him and making sure that he lived the best life.

In February 2022, Zeppelin was diagnosed with osteosarcoma. They removed the tumor and we thought that everything would be great. We fought and overcame the cancer for a little over a year.

Zeppelin was my soul dog. We had a way of communicating that was beyond explainable. I finally had to send him to Heaven after he had had several surgeries, chemo, and other treatments.

I won’t ever be the same.

I miss Zeppelin so very much and think about him all the time. I can’t wait to be reunited with my sweet baby boy. I will give him a hug and never let go.