On April 24 of this year, I lost my best friend of the past nine years -- a 19 lb. domestic short hair cat named Goose. As far at cats go, he was not the typical 'leave me alone but feed me and maybe I'll be nice to you' type. He was a truly special individual that enjoyed taking walks at night and sleeping on plastic bags. And he liked people. Losing him to cancer, after being side by side with him for almost a decade, was tough. I still don't like to think about it. I called Tom from Empire BMX, and he was one of the people that helped me through that difficult time.
In time, I eventually learned that I grew as a person because of Goose's influence and our friendship. And that's something that doesn't come along too often in life.
Yesterday, Empire BMX debuted their new "Best Friend" t-shirt, featuring the past and present pets of the Empire BMX team and family, including Bonnie the dog (top left), who passed away several years ago. To celebrate their lives and the influence that these friends have on the Empire staff and team, Empire BMX is donating all profits of t-shirt sales to
Austin Pets Alive, a local, non-profit, no-kill shelter run primarily by volunteers. And if you're an Austin, Texas local, Empire is offering a special deal for customers: Bring in $15 worth of pet supplies (food, toys, etc) before January 1 and receive a "Best Friend" t-shirt for free (one shirt per customer).
The shirt is also available for purchase on the
Empire BMX website.