Frank Joseph Sunshine Berends

1/25/2013 – 3/30/2024

Frank was good and kind and gentle and fun and funny…and I told him that every day.

Frank loved to be outside, go for walks, EXPLORE, meet new people and make new friends, play nose work, chase squirrels (he caught one once!), get treats from our neighbors (especially his VERY FAVORITE, Barb, who he adored and who he spent many hours watching and waiting for), and listen to cello music (he slept so deeply when we listened to cello music!).

Frank was beautiful inside and out and I was so proud of him for earning his CGC and TKN titles, passing the therapy dog test, and earning legs toward a nose work title. I was proud of his achievements but Frank mainly liked going to class to see and spend time with his human and dog friends. If we had a class visitor, he always went over to say Welcome to our class.

I met Frank when he was seven years old. I saw his photo on the Underdog Rescue website and saw sweet kindness. I applied to adopt that day (a Saturday), met him on Monday, and (nervously) brought him home on Friday. He didn’t even have a name! (The rescue had given him a name, but it didn’t mean anything to him.) I remember how seriously he sat in the car on the short drive home. With sweaty hands I got him out of the car and we made it safely into the house, his new home. I didn’t know what a beautiful soul I brought home with me that day! Every dog is special, but somehow Frank was extra special; he had a kind, calm presence and nothing is the same without him.

Frank was diagnosed with primary DCM in December 2022 and was given 6-12 months. I was so happy when he turned 10 in January 2023. And so happy when he turned 11 in January 2024! Maybe we’d make it to 12! But it was not to be. On Friday night, March 29, Frank went to sleep and sometime during the night his beautiful soul left his physical body.

I love my dearest dearie forever and always. It was my honor to know him.