This is a temporary draft of the final tribute that will be here for Sooner. Check back in the near future.

When Max passed away, we suddenly had a very large (18' X 36') and very empty dog pen right outside the back door. We also had a very empty spot in our hearts and empty chunks of time that used to be for Max.
Holly decided to check out the local shelter web page and there was Sooner. An older Samoyed/Golden Retriever mix with a great Samoyed smile. Holly broke down and went to visit him and talked me into visiting him a few days later. Sooner didn't have a great chance of finding a new home as he it was determined he didn't like kids and was already 5-6 years old. We adopted Sooner and brought him home where he quickly took his place as our new companion.
We had been farm sitting when Max died and the daughter of the farm owners had offered us "first pick" of her next litter of Golden Retrievers. She was disappointed that we had not accepted her offer and we decided to accept her offer as a companion for Sooner. Our one concern was that Sooner was an older male and had established himself in his new place when it was time to bring "Later" home. All our concerns were pointless.., Sooner assumed father role as soon as Later entered the pen, making sure all parts were clean including ears. They became great companions and playmates, although Sooner maintained his father role.
More about Sooner soon.