My thoughts go out to you & your family at the loss of Pete.
Isn't it amazing how close you can become to a dog (or any pet, I assume).
My first dog was a Yellow Lab/Golden Retriever mix named Ranger, whom I adopted in 1991 at about 9 months old. He lived to be about 15-1/2 years old. Like you, I took him almost everywhere & he seemed to love it. The relationship you can have with a dog was amazing, to me. I'd heard about things like that but, didn't think I would ever experience it. In fact, in some places, I was known as, "the guy with the yellow dog". He was great with other people & animals & liked to camp, which, we did a lot of.
Like you, I really miss him & think of him, often. He was a part of the family & everyone loved him. My grandmother would actually cook meals for him when she knew I was going to come over for a visit. Needless to say, he really liked her!!!
About two years ago, I adopted a new dog, Sparky. She's a Golden Retriever/Chow mix but, is no where near the dog that Ranger was. The Chow in her appears to be dominant & she's somewhat aggressive & thick headed. Ranger was very respectful, at all times, & Sparky does what ever she wants & couldn't care less about doing what I would like her to do. (BTW, she EARNED her name by eating electrical wires that were plugged in to the wall outlets. )
My guess is that the best thing to do is be grateful for being so lucky as to have had such a wonderful relationship with a dog. The world would probably be a better place if everyone had such a relationship.
You & Pete are in my thoughts.
Joe F.
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