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Egypt is someone that I don't often show around or talk about to many people.

She lives deep inside my heart.

She was about 10 when I got her, and I only had her for about a year. It felt like she had been in my life for an eternity, and yet not nearly long enough.

I don't know much about Egypt's past. The woman I got her from told me she had been severely abused for the first part of her life. She led a well enough life in a family after that. She really loved Egypt, but had to give her up due to a new living arrangement.

That's where Egypt met me. She was on arthritis pills, but didn't let that slow her down one bit. The best times were when we ran with each other at the dog park. I would run as hard as I could and she kept right in step, even at over 10 years of age. Great Danes have an average lifespan of around 7 to MAYBE 14 years if they're lucky.

She won "Oldest Female Great Dane" at a Great Dane Rescue event we attended. We weren't near the announcements at the time, but word spread around so fast about her that someone approached us to inform us about the competition and she received a ribbon for it.

Egypt put up with two young male Great Danes in her last year, D'Argo and Shere Khan, and they knew who was boss.

She slept next to me every night.

Bumps, moles, gray and white hair, she was the most beautiful being ever to anyone that met her, and with so much happiness, you would never know she was so abused in her past, or what was inside of her.

Getting ready to go on vacation, she was taken for some checkups at the best Great Dane vet in the world. The next day, it was discovered that she had a tumor on her spleen the size of a tennis ball. Inoperable, and could become fatally worse at any moment.

There was no time to think things over, not because of vacation, that didn't matter, but because of the tumor.

In three hours, Egypt would be put to sleep.

This photo was taking less than two hours before her last moments, along with many more photos and video. After a few minutes, I took off her collar and let her run around completely free in my parents' backyard. She was so full of energy. It was hard to believe anything was wrong with her.

I took her back home, fed her about five pounds of ham, she snipped my finger once (completely my fault, she was so excited about the treat and didn't notice my fingers one time) I of course pulled my hand back quickly. She thought she did something wrong and flinched. It felt so horrible to see her flinch like that. I quickly gave her reassurance. I hope it was enough for her to understand everything was ok.

At the vet, still happy as ever, we sat and waited for the deed to be done. She smiled to the last moment.

Egypt's spirit, joy, happiness, energy and story touched the hearts of everyone she met. And yet, she started off her life in such abuse that I can only wonder what she went through.

This fundraiser is in memory of the brightest and freest spirit I have ever had the pleasure to have in my life.

I love you Egypt