Goodbye

I am heartbroken to deliver the following news. And yet, as Brave Sky’s motto is “Be Brave,” I am doing just that by facing this hard truth, and sharing it with you.

It saddens our family greatly that we have been forced to say goodbye to Westen, our Great Dane, due to the slow decline of his mental health. Over the past 6 months we observed significant changes, and we spent a lot of time praying over the situation. The time finally came for us to end his pain. 

God brought Westen to us after the loss of Baier’s previous dog, Gunner. Having a puppy helped us through tough times. Baier was dreadfully missing his four legged buddy, and I needed a companion to keep me company (as my “dark shadow”) while Baier worked long hours. Westen quickly became my dog and we spent a lot of time together. His favorite thing was for me to lay out on the grass with him - his body was as big as mine. I called it “snuggling,” and it made him obviously giddy.

Westen brought smiles to many people, as well as tears (when his long whip tail whacked various body parts). Because of his large size, he became a segue to assist smaller children find the bravery to pet him and come out of their shells, and then move into playing with even larger creatures (our horses).

God not only brought us the blessings of happiness and joy because of Westen, but many others shared those same blessings over Westen’s 6 years in our family and in our home.

Thank you, God, for bringing Westen to us; thank you, especially now, for comforting us and helping us through this most difficult process of saying goodbye to our dear friend and family member.

Goodbye, Westie My Bestie.

Michael Alan Westen Fine

“Westen”

March 7, 2014 - July 27, 2020