When I first got Dante, I didn't want a puppy. I had enough problems going on in my life. On the way home from picking him up we had to stop at Wal-Mart for puppy food, collar and toys of course. While my ex-wife went in the store, Dante crawled up on my chest, he was shaking from his first ride in the car. I remember looking down at him, and he was staring directly in my eyes, we just stared at each other for a moment and then he kissed my cheek. I knew at that moment I had a best friend for life.
Dante helped me through the toughest times of my life, in fact, he literally saved mine, Twice! He was the furthest thing from a dog that you could get, he acted more human than most of the humans I knew. Regardless of what kind of a day I had at work, he always met me at the door with his tail wagging and his adrenaline going just from being happy to see me. And me seeing him that way, always made my day better. He made me realize that its not just humans who have personalities, good and bad, he gave me a new found respect for life other than the human life.
In October of 2004 Dante was diagnosed with Chronic Renal Failure. And within 10 days after diagnosis, God would allow Dante to go home. Most people don’t know why or what our purpose in life really is, but the more I think about what Dante's purpose could have been, the more I believe it was to teach me undying love and to give me that new found respect for the simple things in life. When we found out Dante was sick, we wept, but we thought we would have at least another 5 or 6 years with him. That was not the case. People have this strange way of thinking of things they would have loved to say to their loved ones after they are gone. We were kind of lucky because we got to tell him exactly what he means to our lives and how he changed us forever. I had trouble finding the words to fulfill what I was trying to say, No words could express how I felt about him. Although one word kept coming to mind "Hero", everything we had been through together, he stayed stronger than I. His family misses him, but we know we'll all be together again someday.
We would like to thank everybody who has helped us during this painstaking time. I would like to request from you, that in remembrance of Dante Caravan Benjamin, Please, just look at your loved ones and tell them exactly what they mean to you, be it your Pets, Children, Parents, Brothers or Sisters. Just remember, life can change in the blink of an eye.
