My special thing is my dog?s ashes. My dog Siskiyou died about four or five years ago from cancer. We put her to sleep and then cremated her so that we could keep the ashes.

My family and I then planted an apple tree, sprinkled her ashes on the dirt and roots, and then watered it. We named the apple tree the Siskiyou Tree. It is in our backyard and moose are tearing it up, but in the love of our dog, we keep renewing it.

We still have some of Siskiyou's ashes and photos to remember her by. We keep her ashes and keepsakes in a box that is in a clear-glass cabinet, so she is always with us. I loved my dog, and that is why her ashes and keepsakes are the most precious things in my life; they represent everything that I hold dear.