A Lot To Say Today - My Friend Michael Larizza
Tuesday, December 5th, 2006
This has been an eventful time for me and not all good … I need to use this space for a variety of things today … and in the end I had to break this into two weeks worth of posts …
I hope you all don’t mind, but I need to post this to the world and share …
I lost a good friend last week, someone who has been in my life for at least fifteen years if not more. Michael Larizza ran the kennel around the corner from my house. He passed away and Buddy and I will miss him terribly. So here is my tribute to a wonderful man:
December 1, 2006
Some people were put on this earth to impact other people’s lives. Mike was one of those people. He didn’t just love animals, he loved their owners. Mike wasn’t just a groomer or a boarder, he was my friend. Someone I called just to say hi; someone who gave me advice when I needed it. Someone who I counted on to always be there. I could go into detail about all the wonderful things Mike did for me, but the specific stories don’t matter. His wonderful, generous spirit did. One month ago, I said to him, “If something happens to me, I want you to take Buddy.” I knew I didn’t have to ask, I just knew he would. Just as I knew when I had to give up my beloved Maltese Spike, Mike would find him a loving home. Mike kept Spike and even turned away owners who lived too far away because he wouldn’t be able to check on him and know how he was doing.
He gave us one of his female dogs, Dylan, which was such an honor that he’d trust us that way. Then he took her back when asthma prevented my husband from keeping her. But he always made sure we visited with her and she remembered us.
Not a day will go by when I don’t think of Mike and miss him. Not a day will go by when I accept that he is gone. I just felt I wanted his friends and family and all those who loved him too to know how special he was to me. I loved him and I hope I added something to his life as well.
I know he is with Cowboy and Tyler and at peace.
This is my way of thanking him for being my friend.
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This next part is not a joke. This is also a tribute to … to Max, the Pot Bellied Pig.
George Clooney lost his beloved pet since the late 1980’s. I’m so sorry for him.
RIP Max.
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I’m sorry to be a downer today. It’s part of life I guess, and I need to let everyone know that someone special is gone.
