In November of 2004 we had two major events that would shape our lives forever. We moved into our new home in Bellport Long Island and shortly thereafter we adopted PJ from Long Island Golden Retriever Rescue.  PJ came to us at a time he was very vulnerable but trusted us immediately with his health and well being.  He made a new unfamiliar house into a "home". The list of virtues is too long to put into a simple paragraph but his happy, loving, and silly demeanor made coming home the highlight of our day. I can still see him running around the house with his favorite toy, a floppy bone pillow, and digging into his bed after a satisfying meal. He loved nothing more than to spend time with us at night playing "hide & seek", watching sports, or simply relaxing on his doggie bed. Our lives could get so complicated but he was simple and easy to please.

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention how he touched our family and friends. He loved to vacation at his grandparent’s home in Brooklyn and be the "ham" of 71^st street, all while still finding time to steal his Uncle Chris's socks. He loved seeing his "Long Island Grandparents" visit us from their house a few doors down. There were his "buddies" Timmy, Nick, Craig, Jim, Fred, and Stacy who he would jump on when they visited. And who could forget Max: the only dog that he would play with.

No matter what challenge faced PJ, and there were many throughout his ten plus years, he would persevere and become stronger. Even hours before he would pass, he found enough strength to walk up our staircase to be with me as I worked in my office. I could not script a story of loyalty any better.

PJ may be gone, but we will make sure he will never be forgotten. The outpouring of support is so touching that you realize in death how many lives this little dog touched throughout his time on earth. In the end we thought we were helping him, but in reality we helped each other. This memorial is our commitment to make sure your life will not go unnoticed and a promise to help your fellow golden retrievers in their time of need. So "peege" we love you and hope you are enjoying rolling in the grass, running through the field, and resting with your bone pillow over the Rainbow Bridge. God Bless you buddy there is an eternal paw print on my heart and I hope you have a hand print of my love on yours. We will meet again someday.

If you like to see pictures of PJ or sign his memorial guestbook go to www.pj.critters.com