One of the great loves of my life

Sonu Karan
March 20th 2000-April 13th 2012

On the 20th of March a great soul was born
His name was Sonu Karan, and was true golden retriever to form
Doss brought him home to Boston as a gift
Lakshmi just finished her PhD at Tufts and could finally relax for a bit

He lived for a while in the chill of Minnesota
And he grew up playing in the snow, near places in North/South Dakota!
He loved the cool breeze and frolicked in the cold weather
He would brave the snow flakes as his coat was as thick as leather

He then moved to sunny California where snow was pretty obsolete
Unless he went to lake Tahoe on mini trips that felt like a harmonious retreat!
Road trips he would go and with children he would play
You could pull his tail, or whiskers and not a growl or peep would he say

In 2007 he met the Mahadevan family who showered him with love and care
He spent the day there and went back home at night, so now day-care became rare!
Our time in California was initially lonely with few friends
The Karans brought friendship and fun when they gave us Sonu “on lend”

He put on a few pounds over the years at our home
He sat by the fire and would often go to the backyard to roam
He cheered up our days and kept us company all night
He made everything seem so much better as he was a cheerful delight

He gave so much joy to everyone he met
At the park so many people said they have never met a dog that didn’t act like a pet!
He would prance in the grass and roll in the sun
And smile ear to ear, it seemed he was always having fun

On Sunday he would go to Madras Café and sit outside and wait
His parents always bought him idlis, rain or shine, early or late
He loved to roam on Castro and to Posh Bagel he would race
He could eat so many plain bagels as it was his favorite place

He loved to go the park near the library for a stroll
He didn’t even need to be on leash, which allowed him to frolic and roll
His well behaved nature and his training was evident during his walks
When we would go to the park he would never stray away even if we stopped to talk

He enjoyed chewing his squeaky toys especially his footballs and stuffed bears
He mostly loved to play with his tennis ball and would run after it, even under a chair!
Snowball, Monkey, Pony were all his nick names
His big personality was truly his claim to fame

He had so many funny moments like when he would go crazy or flop on his side
He even loved sitting in his bed or going on long car rides
Tahoe and Carmel were two of his favorite spots
He embraced life and taught us about life, love, and loss

He taught me to live in the moment and to not get too worked up and stressed out
He would lay by my side when I studied and tickle my feet with his cold snout
He loved to clap to Govinda and have good mum mum after all his meals
We truly miss him and it will take time for our hearts to heal

He had the most caring nature, not a fly would he harm
He will forever be remembered for all his antics and charm
He is in heaven now being looked after by Toffee
And he also has a new playmate up there in Buddy

We want to thank him for everything he gave us in his life
His twelve years with us got us through both joy and strife
We will continue to think of him forever and our hearts will pine
Although he has left his earthly body his spirit will always shine