Well, I made it about one sentence before I started tearing up while writing this. But before having Koda I didn't have that animal before. That one that teaches you how fantastic animals can be. I had pets growing up but it wasn't the same. Koda wasn't the same, he was something more, he was our special boy. Which is why it was so extremely hard to lose him yesterday as he ran free across that rainbow bridge.

We knew when he rescued us 11 years ago in Kalispell, Montana that he had a rough start to life as he was found tied to a stop sign left by his previous owners. That was the biggest mistake of their life as Koda was quickly welcomed into our home and our family. He immediately made life better, he was always happy, and always ready to play. He really was the perfect dog.

If Koda ever saw someone crying or just looking sad it took just seconds before he was right next to that person trying to lick their hand and give hugs letting that person know everything would be okay. Even yesterday as I was driving to Flint Veterinary Clinic, my boy held on so I could say goodbye, and minutes later he was gone. He lived his days caring about everyone else.

Something wasn't right with Koda in his final days, you could tell he wasn't himself. Not eating like normal and more tired than normal. There was fluid pushing on his heart and it just got to be too much. Luckily, our boy isn't hurting anymore. While it hurts us here, we can find a little bit of peace knowing he is in a better place now.

Remember to hug your pets, often. Here are some photos of our amazing Koda Friend:

We lost our boy as he crossed the rainbow bridge, but we are lucky for having him in our family for 11 years.

To prepare yourself for a potential incident, always keep your vet's phone number handy, along with an after-hours clinic you can call in an emergency. The ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center also has a hotline you can call at (888) 426-4435 for advice.

Even with all of these resources, however, the best cure for food poisoning is preventing it in the first place. To give you an idea of what human foods can be dangerous, Stacker has put together a slideshow of 30 common foods to avoid. Take a look to see if there are any that surprise you.

More and more, East Texans want restaurants where they can share a meal and hang out on a cool patio with their best furry friends. Here are TEN great spots in Tyler to do just that!

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We Lost a Good One, Koda Crossed the Rainbow Bridge - knue.com