Though we love all our animals equally, we sometimes find ourselves with a pet who is particularly memorable and who has made a profound difference in our lives. For me, that was our Australian Shepherd named Ringo.

Ringo's happy personality and boundless energy won the heart of anyone and everyone who knew him. I remember how he would greet me when I returned after a longer-than-expected absence. He would dance around in circles for a minute or so (as most Aussies do) and then, while looking at me out of the corner of his eye, throw his head back and howl ecstatically. If I sang along I could usually get two or three more howls out of the deal. Then came the kisses.

I could always get Ringo to "herd" the other dogs by yelling "Go Ringo, go!" We have a large grassy yard, just perfect for a Weimaraner round-up. He didn't really need anything to herd. You could yell "Go Ringo, go!" at any time. He would be quite content to pretend he was chasing something or someone by running around the yard solo. All the better if you ran in front of him...as long as you didn't mind an occasional nip or two at your backside.

Ringo was diagnosed with Leukemia in April, 2004. He died six weeks later, just after his fifth birthday. What made his death more difficult was not only his relatively young age, but learning that his death was largely preventable.

Early in 2004, Ringo and Oakley (my 3 year old female Weimaraner) got "the works"- vaccinations and dental cleaning. They were each given five shots in January and had their teeth cleaned in February.

The dental procedure involved general anesthesia, which made me very uncomfortable. I knew of two dogs in particular who had died after having their teeth cleaned. One died during the procedure and the other sustained liver damage, became severely diabetic and died a year later. I mentioned my concerns to the vet and was told that the procedure was perfectly safe as long as the "new and improved" type of anesthesia was used. I was then told that the benefits far outweigh the risks and that not having my dogs teeth cleaned could have dire consequences.

Two weeks later, Oakley became so sick she could not walk. I was told she had come down with some sort of virus. Her left eye became infected and the surrounding tissue swelled to three times its normal size. The vet prescribed antibiotics and a shot of cortizone to reduce the swelling in the eye and prevent blindness. For two weeks I slept next to her on the floor and fed her liquid protein with an eye dropper. Through all of this I barely noticed Ringo had lost his appetite. I thought he was just being a picky eater and was feeling jealous of all the attention Oakley was getting.

Oakley recovered about the same time I noticed Ringo acting strangely. He was lying on the bed trying to sleep, but his legs kept twitching. At first I thought he was dreaming about chasing something, which he would do almost every night. But something told me this was different. I shook him gently to wake him only to realize he was not asleep. I will never forget the feeling of panic when I realized that something was terribly wrong.

I found out the next day that Ringo's glands were swollen and pressing on nerves, causing the twitching. A couple of days later, test results showed Ringo had leukemia.

After learning of his illness, I spent the next two weeks searching the internet for information I hoped would help Ringo survive. I had been advised by four veterinarians (three of them specialists) that leukemia in dogs was pretty much incurable, but to go ahead and try whatever I could to save his life. I gleaned what information I could from each, hoping someone had the magic that would keep Ringo alive.

Ringo and I even got to know all of the wonderful people working at our local health food store. They gave me tons of advice and all prayed with me for Ringo to get well. I spent 4-5 hours a day on a special regimen to try and help him fight off the cancer.

One Sunday morning, about six weeks later, Ringo suddenly became much worse and I knew it was time to let him go.

To say I miss Ringo would be the biggest understatement in the world. I recognize Ringo's faithfulness and loving heart in every dog I see – from the black lab mix, looking over at his master as they travel down the road in the cab of a semi truck, to the fluffy white husky walking past our house every day with a little blonde girl. Ringo was a treasure who will be missed forever.

I feel very strongly that Ringo's death could have been prevented. No matter what the common procedures are, vaccinations have not been proven to be 100% safe. They have also been known to contain dangerous levels of toxic substances such as lead and mercury.

Also, any dog (or person) with a compromised immune system is susceptible to serious adverse side effects to medications, drugs, vaccines and other substances used in the medical field. By no means am I insinuating that doctors are deliberately trying to do harm to people and animals, but the result is just as deadly as if the intent was there.

Lastly, if one decides to go ahead with standard medical protocol and subject themselves or their pets to vaccinations or drugs, it would behoove them to at least put some effort into bolstering the immune system beforehand by using supplements, eating a proper diet, and getting enough exercise and sleep.

Please read the following information regarding vaccinations and alternative approaches to veterinarian care. It could mean all the difference in the world to your pet.