We are so grateful to you all for having embraced us as an adoptive homestead for one of your dogs. Shukka – whom we later renamed to “Roman” – transformed our lives in ways we could not have imagined at the time of meeting him. We are so happy the Southern California Golden Retriever Rescue (SCGRR) saw fit to let us bring him into the fold.
So it is with a heavy heart that I write to inform you that Roman passed away from terminal cancer earlier this week. He was (roughly) six years old at the time. We are devastated at his loss and grieve still at his passing.
Although Roman was only with us for a few brief years, he helped our family grow in immeasurable ways. He saw us through our first apartment as a couple; moved with us into our first house as homeowners (complete with his own yard to run around!); bore witness to our wedding day by the beach; and welcomed both of our sons into the world as our family grew around him. We miss Roman and mourn his absence in the life we had built together, but we are forever grateful for having had the opportunity to have shared it with him. It should go without saying that he was a good dog.
We wanted to reach back to SCGRR to let you know that Roman had a happy life with us and share – if only in a small way – the tremendous amount of joy he brought with him. In part, this helps us serve as a measure of closure. But as his one-time stewards, we also felt it appropriate that you’d want to know he was cared for and loved up to and through his last moments. Please feel free to share this with whomever you deem appropriate.
Respectfully,
The Matsumoto Family