As the spring sports season draws to a close and graduation ceremonies take place in the coming weeks, most athletes will experience the pain of watching their season come to a close without the championship trophy that they strived to earn.

For those looking to read an upbeat story on how losing can still bring happiness, be sure to check out Don's article on the NWOC district track meet. This article is a little more somber and I'm trying to find a tie-in to sports to make it relevant to this site. I can only echo the words above; losing is really difficult to handle.

I got a phone call here in Singapore last Friday which was worrisome. My wife had let my beloved dog, Dante, out for his breakfast and went to check on him after a few minutes. She discovered he hadn't eaten his breakfast, which was fairly uncommon except for the occasional times when he is sick. She saw him laying next to our house, but could tell that something was wrong. His back legs were shaking and his breathing was labored. She couldn't get bribe him up, not even with the enticement of cookies. She gave me a call wondering if there was anything I could suggest. From the whimpers in the background, it seemed clear that he needed to make another trip to the vet - not an uncommon occurrence with the aging pets in our household lately (we had a cat tear her ACL earlier this year and another cat who went missing for nearly a week during the winter).

Since Dante is no ‘yorkie' and wasn't willing to walk on his own, she went to a neighbor for some help. By the time she returned to the house, Dante's time had run out. I received that second phone call much earlier than planned and had a bad feeling before I even answered.

For those who have lost loved ones, be it close friends, family, or pets, I think you will agree that you can never prepare for that kind of news. When I accepted my short-term work assignment in Switzerland a few months ago, I knew that our pets were getting old and that there was always the possibility this could happen, but it still doesn't prepare you. What makes it that much more difficult is knowing I was halfway through my trip to Singapore and then I was set to visit home for a week and relishing the chance to see my family again. I keep asking myself why it couldn't have been a week later so I could see him again. I suppose it's a normal reaction when you lose someone or something. I wonder if there was anything I could have done, even from thousands of miles away. Athletes wonder if they could have trained harder in the off-season, spent more time on drills in practice, or even given an extra 10% in that final game, too.

Dante definitely had his moments, good and bad. There were the chases through downtown streets on both the west and the east coast (how did he pass obedience school?) Incidents which involved other dogs. Even run-ins with the police (Dante said he was innocent). There was even a surgery to remove a cancerous skin tumor. Those events were just a part of the story, though. There were the countless walks through the town/city. Camping trips to the beach or the mountains. The rides in the pickup truck. Playing with our other dogs in the yard. And sitting down right in front of you with his chin resting on your knee after you've come home from a long day at work.

When an illness or other ailment is prolonged and one's time is running short, I think it's easier to prepare for what we all must endure. The suddenness of this all is very troubling to me. The unexpected brings out a wide range of emotions, even in the world of sports. I'm sure the those attending the JV softball game between Forest Grove and Newberg on May 2 also understand. Up and coming umpire Mark Cadonau suffered what would end up being a fatal heart attack while working the game. We at oregonprepsports.net express our condolences to the Cadonau family on their loss.

We all look for our ways of closure in dealing with tragic losses throughout our life. This time, I've tried writing as a way of expressing myself - something I'm not accustomed to doing. Dante was truly a man's best friend and will be sorely missed by many who knew him well. Losing is never easy, but it's one step in our own journey which builds character and lasting memories.