Little Mikey lay in bed; the TV was burbling an old movie about Lassie, probably from the forties. His eyes were opening from time to time, as the pain and nausea from the chemo mixed with painkillers ebbed him in and out of consciousness.

His mom came in and felt his forehead, then laid a cool washrag on it. He opened his eyes, the pain showing, and asked his mom if he could please have a dog—any kind of dog, before he died. With tears in her eyes she said yes, she would talk it over with his dad. When he felt well enough from this round of chemo they would go to the rescue place and he could pick one out.

His eyes blinked open! "Really? I'll be well and ready to go when Dad gets home," he coughed out.

"There, there, we'll see how you are when Dad gets home."

He had been adopted by Bill and Jan when only a few weeks old and was now eight, though his little frame spoke more of four or five because of the discovery that he had leukemia when he was just a little more than three. They had been in line for another child ever since they got Mikey. Whether a boy, or girl, they wanted two children. It hadn't happened.

Four o'clock came and Dad arrived home from the machine shop where he worked the day shift. There sat Mikey dressed to go, pale and somber, near the door as Dad stepped in. "Let’s go, let’s go!" he was shouting towards his mom. She came in the room and they had a little conversation about adopting a dog, then they loaded up in the car.

The rescue people were friendly as they lead them through the maze of kennels of all the barking, jumping, and wagging tails. Then, there he was, lying inside his shelter—golden eyes looking into Mikey's pale blue ones. The old dog got up, slowly walked up to Mikey, and licked his hand while giving him a couple of tail wags to let him know he could feel his illness. Then he sat down and looked into Mikey's eyes. Mikey got on his knees and hugged the thick coat around the old dog’s neck and shoulders while getting another kiss on his cheek.

"Don't snuggle the dog Mikey, he may not like it," his mom admonished.

"That's it, that's his name! Snuggles!" shouted Mikey.

The deal was finalized and they took Snuggles home for a nice bath, which he enjoyed. After he was dried they showed him around the house then took him to Mikey's room, where he was in bed resting after the ordeal of going out to the rescue organization. Mikey put his hand out towards the edge of the bed to pet Snuggles and oomph! Snuggles was up in the bed beside Mikey with his head lying beside Mikey's. They had bonded.

The weeks turned into months and Mikey got a lot better since Snuggles came into his life. They even played outside and went for walks, which Mikey hadn't been able to do in a long time.

Several months passed and Mikey had to go into isolation to receive a bone marrow transplant. He was gone over a month and Snuggles would just lie in the bed waiting for his friend to return. He would only get off the bed to go outside or check the house to see if Mikey had returned. He refused to eat and drank little water. Bill and Jan were worried as he was losing weight fast.

Mikey arrived home to a barrage of doggy kisses, barking, and jumping. Snuggles ate and ate trying to catch up. Snuggles buddy was home and all was right now, he was happy. Everyone was happy.

Then one morning nearly a year later, Mom went to take Mikey his breakfast and was met with a low threatening growl. She looked—Mikey was pale and not breathing. She screamed and ran to the phone, calling 911. The ambulance arrived the same time as Bill who luckily got there and leashed Snuggles, taking him out of the room. Mikey was gone, but he had had a lot of good months with his friend. The doctors were amazed that he had recovered and lasted as long as he did. They attributed it to Snuggles.

The phone rang late one morning some months later, it was the adoption agency and they had Bill and Jan's second child ready, another boy, after all these years of waiting. That Saturday they drove to San Antonio and picked him up. When they got home they had readied Mikey's room and placed the baby in the bed. Oomph! Snuggles was up in the bed sniffing, then he looked up as if smiling. He lay down with his head next to the baby's and thumped his tail a few times on the bed as a sign of approval. He had a new buddy to play with in the future.

Bill and Jan were so happy; Snuggles had extended the life of their first son and now was caring for their second. The years ahead would be filled with boy and dog running, playing, and sharing things together. And Mikey was certainly looking down happy that Snuggles, Mom, and Dad had all the love they could want, thanks to Snuggles.

Mark Crider  2006