Most of the time we're not aware how beings around us change our lives. People, animals, each of them makes a little change on it's own way....and then, only sometimes, one creature emerges, so more special than others... Creature that gives you so much, that loves so much, that worths so much that your life gets different path. It is one being that alone makes what many others would do...

One of this special creatures walked in my life 5 and half years ago. It was a moment of grief in our family, when we said good-bye to our 14 years old Maša. It was a moment when our house needed a laughter and joy. She came as replacement for Maša in our hearts but grew up in so much more than just a little Vala.

Most of the people that I share life with today, came to my life after Vala and in some way are connected to her. Life with one little Vala filled our lives with new nice people and dogs. While we were traveling trough life together our life changed more and more intense than ever. She introduced me to tornjaks, opened a gate to a dog world in totally different way, and did that by just being my Vala...Vala that didn't need to do anything but be herself to influence lives and make people around her happy.

Vila, Lyra and Istra lie by my side now. Neither one of them would be here if I didn't met Vala. 20 tornjaks that walk on this world at this moment carry her name beside their own as a reminder that they are here because of her. Just by that she influenced many more lives beside mine.

During her first year and half, Vala was making my mom happy, and months after mom's death, together with Lyra she was the reason I got up from bed every morning. She was with me in difficult times and radiated energy that I needed. Mom's last days were full of laughter and joy with Vala and Lyra.

She loved swimming very much, she loved sea, boats and ships. She adored people and crowd. She barked until she was exhausted, howled with sirens, digged huge holes in our garden. She barked without making a sound, had special way of giving you a paw... Her face was real face, with truly readable expressions, emotions and looks...She was "tramp", mischieves were her speciality, her daily goal was to think a new adventure or way to avoid the rules...and she smiled...smiled like a human...

Vala was so much more...so much more special and so much more things that I'll miss every day. Vala was just Vala, and that was more than enough to make everything different...and she left us too early. She left me on our shared journey, like she gave me equipment, map, advices, company and decided that I can go further on my own. Considering her often being smarter than me, she is probably right, but at the moment it seams I can't make a move without her or that anything will mean as it would if she is here. World without Vala in my head is not possible because she was the one that helped making it for me...

I knew she might not live as long as she could because of her severe hip dysplasia. But she coped with that great and left forever so quickly and sudden, in a way I wasn't able to try keep her beside me. Vala died of kidney failure... She was probably sick for a while but she couldn't talk. She was just just a bit less Vala in everything. Just enough that everything seemed almost normal until few days ago. Obviously I shouldn't have known about the disease we coudln't fight anyway, and everything came to the place just by looking back in the time...She left, I believe in a dignified way, with her big dear head in my arms...

There is so much to express that is impossible to say with the words. There is so much missing from the lines above. I think I'm happy that I had a chance to share my life with someone so special that influenced me more than anybody else. I hope I was able to give her nice life in return, at least partly worthy of her. I hope I didn't make many mistakes and that she knew how important she is to me. I hope memory of her eyes would not fade because I want to remember it just the way I do at this moment... and I hope there will be a chance to meet again...I love you Vala!