A message from above

“A soft rain was falling, as if the sky were weeping too, the day I lost my sweet golden retriever, Skipper. He’d been my faithful companion for 14 years. I already missed him and his silly shenanigans, like when he’d drag random items into his bed, waiting for me to find his treasure.

“The house felt so horribly empty when I returned home from the vet with Skipper’s collar. We’ll be together again one day, I prayed. Then a devastating thought flashed in my mind:

Where do dogs go when they die? What if I don’t ever see him again?

“A new round of tears started, and as I grabbed a tissue, I noticed a rectangular box laying in Skipper’s doggie bed. He must have gotten into my nephew’s DVD collection before I took him to the vet. I picked it up, letting out a sob as I read the title: All Dogs Go to Heaven.”

—Janice Rice, 53, Apple Valley, CA