Portrait of Gus

A portrait I did in honor of my childhood friend, Gus, who died of cancer in 2002.
He was born a stray. My aunt and uncle found him as an adult, and adopted him when no one claimed him from the humane society. They had two other German Shepherds at the time, and I was scared of them. But when I met Gus, I gained a friend. I wanted to see him every time I went to their house, he loved when I brushed him, and enjoyed being outside. When he got cancer, he was probably 12 years old, I got to see him the night before. I remember how skinny he was, and I felt despair. The next day around lunch time, my aunt called. All my mom had to say was, "I'm sorry, he was a good dog." I burst into tears. I cried the rest of that day.
I still miss him terribly, and treat the three photos I have of him as if their were as precious as gold or a diamond. I have a feeling he is still watching out for me, as I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in 2008. I seem to have developed a "sixth sense" for low blood sugars, espeially at night. I get a voice in my head telling me to test, and I feel a pull drag me downstairs to make sure I do it. (Not literally drag me, but I feel a strong pull/urge to do it).