Obituaries

To My Sweet Dexter,

From the first day I held you — just three months old, rescued from Tampa Humane Society — I knew you were something special. You were my wild one. My joy. My little chaos maker. You were impossible to train (believe me, I tried), but you had a heart so big and a spirit so curious, no trainer ever stood a chance.

They said it was like “50 First Dates” with you. Every lesson forgotten, every day a new adventure. But oh, how you lived. Every single day with you felt like a page out of a comedy, a drama, and a love story rolled into one. And I got to be your person. Your home.

You never needed rules. You had character.

You were smart enough to open the oven with a towel and eat two pounds of chicken. You polished off an entire lasagna without leaving a trace. You claimed the couch as your throne, the park as your kingdom, and my heart as your forever place.

We went everywhere together — you, Bella, and I. You chased sticks through 28 U.S. states, watched the mist rise from Niagara Falls, hiked the Rocky and Smoky Mountains, and even attended a medical conference with me in D.C. You weren’t just a dog. You were a traveler, a companion, a witness to my entire adult life.

You were silly, dramatic, deeply affectionate, and so unbelievably human in the way you loved. And you never let me forget that I was your whole world. You followed me from room to room. You needed to be wherever I was. Even as your body grew tired, your eyes never stopped tracking me. You never let me out of your sight. You were my Velcro boy until the very end.

But oh, how you held on. Even when your legs gave out, even when standing became impossible, you stayed — for me. You barked at the window just a few days ago. You begged for treats, watched us garden, greeted us at the door with your eyes even when your body couldn’t follow. You said “yes” to life every single day you could.

Today, I had to say the word I never wanted to say.

Goodbye.

I held you close, wrapped in my arms, and told you everything I ever needed to say: that you were the best boy. That I loved you more than words can carry. That you made my life richer, sillier, and infinitely more beautiful. That I will never forget you. That you mattered more than anything.

Daddy, Bella, your grandparents, uncle Sercan, aunts Ceylan and Sibel, your cousins Mehmet and Yigit, Siena, Charlie, and all the friends who adored you — we all carry you with us now. You were so loved. You are so loved and you surely know it. Did you see our neighbor Ellen? how she burst into tears this afternoon when she heard? This is how much you made an impact in people's lives as the "the sweetest boy".

So run free, my little shadow. Chase the biggest stick you can find. Wait for me in that quiet park in the sky.

I will miss you terribly and you are leaving a big hole behind that will never be filled or reduced... And until we meet again, know this:

You are every good thing.

Love always,
Mom