Golden Sleeper, originally uploaded by pmarkham.

It has been a couple of weeks now since we made the decision to euthanize Jordan the Golden Retriever. I miss him every single day. Jordan was a retired Helping Paws Service Dog. He came to my house after working for eight years as a service dog for a woman with Cerebral Palsy. He lived to be 15 years old. His last year was difficult as arthritis in his back robbed him of strength in his back legs and caused him pain. We finally said goodbye to him as it became clear that the pain medicines were no longer keeping up and simple tasks like climbing the stairs became impossibly hard for him.

Jordan was one of an extraordinary group of dogs that I’ve had the privilege of sharing my life with over the years. My thanks to the entire Helping Paws family for sharing him with my family.

I now embark on a new stage of my life. For the first time in 14 years, I don’t have a dog in my life. It is a very weird feeling. We had a family meeting and all decided that we will get another dog, but we will be choosy about which dog. We don’t have the time right now for a puppy. We will be looking for a medium to large dog that will be good with young kids and a pair of very active cats. We love both Labrador Retrievers and Golden Retrievers, but will consider any dog — including mixed breeds. It is more about their personality than their looks. I’ve already been scouring the various local rescue groups and humane societies. Do you know of anyone looking for a new home for a good dog? Let me know!

–Pete