here has been much crying since his passing...we lost him on the 18th...

He had an enlarged heart and was on many medications for it. Me and my mother had come home and he greeted us with a yodel bark as he usually does, his tail wagging so hard his whole body swayed back and forth. He was always smiling. I went to work on something for my mom while my grandmother decided to take the dogs out to pee. All of a sudden my grandmother is yelling as is my mom and I rush outside. Odie had collapsed in the yard. I ran down the steps calling his name and his ear perked just slightly but other then that he didn't budge. I checked and he was still breathing but barely. I lifted him up and he was limp. We ran him into the house and put him on the couch and he was convulsing while I held him. Grama tried to call the vets when I told my mom we needed to take him now. We grabbed a towel and rushed him to the car.

He was gone before we left the house but we still rushed there. They confirmed that he had passed. They said he wasn't in pain when he went, and that most likely he got excited and it was just a bit to much for his little heart. Upon examination he also had a mass in his stomach that was the size of a soft ball. None of use could bear the thought of having to bury him, so as a family we decided that cremation would be best for him. While coming back to the house we decided that he should have his beloved squirrel with him. So we drove back to give him his squirrel. All of us, my brother, sister, mother, grandmother, and were sobbing. We all keep thinking about him and how quiet the house is without his presence.

Tomorrow...we go in to pick up his ashes and urn...and even as I type this tears are streaming down my face. This dog had so much personality and loved everyone so much. If he just met you...he would get upset when you went to leave. He was very smart and even did a few tricks. If you were sad he would come try to make you happy. He would check on everyone in the house and would yodel bark. From what I have been dealing with earlier this year, he was a huge help as he never judged anyone and just wanted people to be happy. He was so eager to please too. He'd bring you his favorite toy so you could pet him and call him a good boy.

I miss my dog...I miss my Odie...I miss my companion...I miss my friend...
So much has been going wrong this year, I have lost much...and now I have lost a dear friend as well...

http://crystalnori.deviantart.com/a.....-Odie-90548970
http://crystalnori.deviantart.com/a.....-Odie-65352924
http://crystalnori.deviantart.com/a.....demon-90551495
http://crystalnori.deviantart.com/a.....there-65354092
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gd-ToOzB9SI

(my brother had this to add)

To add to what Hannah said. I have never seen someone always smiling. If he were human like us, he would have been happy about all of the little things in life. The only dog I have ever met that behaved as if he believed he were more than a dog. In 2004 when my grandma took us to meet him, he was just as sweet then as he was with us for his entire life. He was always excited to see new people and even though I moved out over three years ago, he did wait for me to come back every time. He learned our schedules and would wait by the door when we normally would come home so he could greet you.
Garfield loves lasagna the same way that Odie loved bologna. So much so that saying the word was enough to get him rilled up. It was always fun to watch him prance around rather than walk like a normal dog. Every step had a little bit of extra spring to it.
I had a lot of great times as a kid playing with him. More times than I can remember it felt like he was the only one that was there for me when I was at the point in my life where it felt as if I had no one to turn to for anything.
I think it was a nice thing to do to take his favorite squirrel to be cremated with him. He always tried to catch squirrels. One year we bought him a toy squirrel and had him unwrap it at Christmas. His eyes lit up so much because of it. I would like to think he would have liked that we brought it to him so he could have it.
Even though he died very quickly and no matter how fast I got to where he was, I still wish I could have been there for him when he needed me...
Once he comes home later today, I'm getting a better plague made than the one that will come with him.

(end of my brothers addition)

My family misses him dearly.

Odie..we got you back in 2004 and we didn't want a dog...but you found your way into our hearts in a way that still rings within us. We will be bringing you home this afternoon, so you can be with the family again. You were so happy to be near me when I had to come back home, and with all the nights that I cried you were there. You brought me your squirrel and your stuffed jack and did all you could to try and make me feel better. All the way up til it was your time to go. I miss you so damn much. I miss many things...but your smile and presence is missed so much. The house is so quiet without your happy yodel bark and jingling of your collar. I miss you so much you dumb dog...there isn't anyone to beg from me now when I get bologna from the fridge...and it hurts.

There is now...another piece of my heart missing...one was ripped away in February...and there another this month...and another will be on the 24th...tomorrow. Please excuse me guys...this year has been awful to me and I may be quiet much longer. I am still having health issues on top of all of this as well. I hate 2016...