We grow up in this world with great hopes that each coming year will bring us new rewards and greater heights. We hope for more than average achievements. Whether it be our first day in Kindergarten, our first soccer game, high school graduation or our first job, we are striving for more. We want to grow. Smokey, on the other hand, was content with the life of an average domestic pet. He served us loyally for 15 years and left us better people for having known him.

Smokey did not have grand aspirations in life. He did not want more from each passing day,he just wanted to be with us. And for 15 years, through graduations, state championships, trips to the beach, prom nights, birthdays and weddings, he was with us. Smokey was always there, a constant, and he brought us much joy from his simple life.

He came to us Christmas 1984. I remember well our trip to pick up our pound puppy. He was the runt of a large litter, who struggled in his pen for our attention. We were drawn to each other and it was not long before we had arranged to take him home. Our family with Mom and Dad and six kids was now somehow, complete.

Smokey aged gracefully, but he began to work harder to do the things that were once so easy. His mobility decreased quickly and over his last several months with us he could no longer climb stairs with any regularity. His mind, body and senses were going and we all knew that this noble dog, our brother, would soon be leaving. He looked to us for support and as always we were there. He allowed us to carry him and raise his food to his mouth but he began to tell us that it was time to rest.

Not everyone agreed on when or by what means we should help Smokey, but we knew that decisions had to be made. There comes a point when goodbyes must be said, and I believe our dog was saying goodbye. We arranged for a veterinarian to come to our house. As we gathered around Smokey, he seemed so at peace and content with his surroundings. We watched as Smokey gracefully breathed his last and laid his head down for eternity. Our pain was great but his pain was gone. oPetuary.com is in memory of you Smokey, may the world know what you meant to us. Thanks for touching our lives.

While researching ways to memorialize Smokey, we realized that tens of thousands of pet owners must deal with the loss of their pets every year. It is difficult to figure out who to turn to and how to proceed. Thus oPETuary.com was born.

We decided to memorialize Smokey in a "virtual cemetery" and we wanted to share this opportunity with the world's pet owners. We hope that you find our cemetery a proper memorial, and we encourage you to take advantage of our growing list of resources for the bereaved. Additionally, we hope that our site can play a part in the reduction of the number of pets who are needlessly euthanized each year.

Mike, Tim, and Peter Baroody