Reading your post midgetwrestler reminds me of the sadness I felt when my dog passed.
Every pet is special if you allow them into your heart.
Many years ago I had a Great Dane, or maybe she had me. She was a brindle.
I have pictures of her as well but I rarely look at them because it reminds me she's gone. I have one picture of her standing with her paws on my shoulders on a sail boat looking at the camera like a celebrity....OK, a little dramatic, but still special.
I named her Bozo, because when I brought her home she had to lean against the wall to walk - she was so gangly and awkward at 6 weeks. At around 10 weeks I took her to run with me and she ran 3 miles and looked at me with a look like " what, we're stopping ? "
Bozo was a good traveler - Atlanta, New Orleans, Dallas. I'd take her with me on rugby tournaments and she'd babysit my girlfriends until we'd return home on Sunday nights. I once took her to summer camp in Jacksonville, Florida...........me being in a Marine Helicopter Squadron at the time wasn't necessarily the best choice...it was a WTF moment so to speak.....too funny!
We were kicked out of two apartment complexes....one resident manager sent my rent check back to me with a letter proclaiming " your dog's feces is to large for such a concentrated population ! " Should have framed that one...but there were so many " special moments " with this critter.
Bozo died on an Easter morning about 18 years ago.