Dear Mabel,

With heavy hearts we said goodbye to you in October of last year nearly 4 years after you beagled into our lives on a Christmas day. We knew your were an elderly girl at the time, but you were very hardy and really did great until the last month or so of your life. You were my first beagle but won't be my last. I know know why my husband is so in love with the breed. You were the most affectionate, funny and LOUD dog I have ever met. All that in a 20lb old lady. I miss you hustling up to me and heaving a big sigh as you sat down in front of me and demanded your petting time. We spent lots of nights on the couch together. Knowing you taught me about being happy to be alive, about relishing a good smell (not necessarily a pleasant one), about loving the winter sun and the airconditioning on a hot summer day. When we arrived at a park for a walk, everybody could hear you as you barked and carried on while we unloaded all the dogs from the car. Bunnies and squirrels were wise to take notice. I loved the way you greeted every meal with such enthusiasm that you would bark with joy, lifting your front feet off the ground and making your ears blow back! We planted your ashes under a new red maple in the back yard and I greet your tree every morning. I am finally writing this today to honor the anniversary of Pushkin's passing. I hope you are both making noise and running the show where ever you are now.

Love,
Beth & Keith, Sophie, Sam, Roo, Grace and Floyd

Dear Sierra,

It’s been three weeks since I made the hardest decision of my life, the decision to let you go. I still struggle with whether or not it was too soon. Should I have waited one more day? I wanted you to be with me forever.

I’m sorry I did not educate myself sooner or find resources sooner to help me with your renal disease. I hope you can forgive me. I don’t know how I missed the warning signs. And then you just progressed so quickly. I know all the work travel and being away from you did not help. And I am so sorry I was not strong enough to say no to the travel until the very end. I am grateful I was able to bring you home and nurse you for the last weeks of your life. I will never forget how you seemed so grateful for everything I did for you. Your tail wagging even when I know you weren’t feeling well.

You have taught me so much over the last 13 years. Stop and look up at the stars, take a deep breath and sigh, it’s ok to rest your head on someone else’s shoulder and take a rest, have patience with children and the elderly, slow down what’s the rush, enjoy your food it’s so good, snow is wonderful to play in, stretch out in the grass on a sunny day it’s good for the soul, the woods are one of the best places to be, listen to the quiet, don’t work so much have some fun, give people a chance you might find a new friend and so much more…..

I promise you I will try to remember all the things you taught me. I’m only human so I hope you will give me a nudge from heaven when I need one.

I think of you and miss you every day. I hope you know how much I loved you and still love you. I miss singing to you in the morning “good morning, good morning, good morning to you” and you my snuggle bunny giving me a grin and kiss. I miss you when I come home to our empty house, no wiggle butt greeting me. I know I told you a million times but it bears repeating, you were the best puppy in the whole wide world and adopting you was the best thing I’ve done in my life!

I’ll love you forever.

Love,
Mama

Dear Allie,

It was 2 years on January 8th. I still miss you everyday. I find myself thinking about you and the tears just come. I will never get over losing you and I pray that I will see you in Heaven someday. We never had any idea that you had cancer and I am so grateful that I didn't have to watch you suffer with it. I will always hold a special place in my heart just for you. You were there for me through alot of sad times and of course alot of happy times. I miss you being pressed up against me in bed at night so much. I miss those eyes that held so much love in them. I miss your kisses and the way you were always my shadow. I will always love you and I am so grateful for the 10 years we had together. I love you my precious girl.

Missing You,
Mommy

Dear Murray,

The day I saw you on Petfinder I knew you were meant to be mine. When we went to the shelter and you were gone my heart was broken. But somehow two weeks later you came back and I didn't let you get away this time. My furry Murray cat...the way you ran to the top of the cat tree I thought you would one day tip it over or fall off but you never did. Those few times you decided to venture outside without me knowing scared me to death...thank you for not going far! I miss you purring in my lap and chasing you around trying to get the hair out of your mouth after you groomed yourself. When the vet told me you had a heart defect that only large dogs usually get I was in shock but vowed to do anything we could to make you comfortable. It was hard not knowing when your little heart would give out but you took all your pills like a champ and we had some good quality time a lot longer than they all thought. After we lost your sister Squirty it sure was tough because we could not be there with her. The day your heart finally gave out was tough to see but I am glad I could be with you to help calm you and send you to the bridge from my arms. It was very hard to lose you and Squirty at such a young age but I hope you enjoyed living with us as much as we enjoyed having you in our family.....miss you and love you Murmeister!

Love,
Mom

Dear Squirt,

I did not even know you were sick. You were such a strong little munchkin girl and never showed any signs. That phone call I got on vacation was awful...to have you be so sick and have to make that decision from so far away. Not being with you at the end was one of the hardest things ever...I hope you know how much I loved you and how much I wanted to be there holding you as you slipped away...to hear me talking to you and be able to see me there with you. The day I met you and you jumped out of the crate into my arms...those short little legs you were the cutest thing ever! I will never figure out how someone could just dump you outside when you were pregnant to fend for yourself...I am so sorry your babies did not make it but I sure am glad they saved you. Not many people had ever seen a munchkin cat and you were a great one! My little biker kitty! The toughest furkid in the house for sure...
I sure do miss you running around the house with those milk rings in your mouth growling like you caught a mouse! Or head bumping me from behind when you wanted some attention as I sat in my chair...
Please find Murray and Riggs and Maiijja and wait for me at the bridge so one day we can be together again....I love you and miss you little Squirtacious....my Low Rider kitty....

Love,
Mom