Mario Branca

On a cold day, December 15, 2008, in Sedgewickville, Missouri, a dog named Jane gave birth to
a litter of puppies at a small rescue called Furry Animal Rescue Mission.  I contacted the rescue
after seeing them posted on Petfinder, only to find that they had all been spoken for.
On February 16, 2009 I received a phone call at work from the kind woman at the rescue,
Vanessa, who told me that all of the puppies were scheduled to be picked up the day before and
one little puppy was left because the people didn’t pick him up.  If I wanted him I would have to
pick him up that day. I drove down to Cape Girardeau and picked up the puppy; I named him
Mario.

Mario and I were lucky that we lived next to my parents so he got to spend lots of time with
Granny and Grandpa while I was at work. He is loved spending time with Grandma and was
excited to see Grandpa come home for their daily ball game. He was a good boy from the
beginning and so cute and sweet; he loved everyone and they loved him.

In the summer of 2010 we started building a new home in Murphysboro and we were even
giving Mario his own room.  He and his buddy Louie loved that the property had a pond, too.
The weekend before Thanksgiving 2016 Mario was not eating (anyone who knew that boy
knows that was his favorite thing). I took him to the vet on Sunday for the first of 6 trips to the
vet and two surgeries. On Friday evening, November 25, 2016 I rushed him to the emergency
vet when he was having some problems at home. His heart stopped and they were unable to
bring him back.

He was my son, my best friend and my shoulder to cry on. Not only is he missed by me but he
is also missed by his grandparents Bob and Marsha Branca, and all of his other family and
especially by his best buddy Louie “Big Lou” Flanigan.

(Mario was originally buried on the property but due to its sale has now been cremated to be with
his mama)

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