Zoey is in Doggy Heaven.

Zoey

Age 9, June 09, 2005 - July 03, 2014

to My Sweet Baby girl: i love you more than words can say. thank you for being my best friend. <3

Nickname: Zo-Bo, Zobato, Zoers, Zobie, Zo, Zozie, Princess

from the day i picked up zo, i knew our souls were meant to be friends. i had a few different options from her litter, but she, being the runt, came out from beyond her brothers and sisters to greet me. i picked her up and looked into her eyes and i just knew she would be my baby. she had such a sweet, beautiful spirit. i could never stay mad at her very long because she had the most incredibly innocent eyes and she always cowered and felt so sad when she disappointed me. naturally, i easily forgave her and loved her more each day.

she always wanted me to be happy and she took care of me the best she could. zo and i traveled all over together. we lived in many different places and she was able to make friends wherever we went, both the human kind and the animal kind. she always had a sense about people. she would sometimes growl and bark at friends who came over, and most often, those were the people who would later hurt me. she could tell, somehow, and was trying to protect me from pain.

as a puppy, she was a chewer. i can't even begin to describe how many pieces of wooden furniture, pens, pencils, and earbuds she destroyed. but it was all worth it because of how much loyalty she gave back. she also loved knocking over garbages and sifting through any last ounce of food. and don't think its because i never fed her. she ate better than me most of the time. whenever we traveled and i stopped at a restaurant, i'd often order a kids meal just for her. i swear she didn't even realize she was a dog half of the time.

my favorite moments were going hiking with her. she was such a good hiking companion. she loved to explore and smell everything. she wasn't afraid to run off, but would always come back when i called her. she was also incredibly playful. she would always love competing with her friends to chase the frisbee. she tried to always pick play fights, though much to her dismay she was rarely successful.

for the past 9 years, my favorite part of every single day was coming home to her. she was always so excited to see me. it didn't matter how long i had been gone. she would hear my car pull up and just wait excitedly by the door. we'd have our routine. i'd let her out and then when she came back in we'd play for a while. she loved playing with a toy while i taunted her with a second toy. she always tried to get both from me, and i usually let her win in the end. recently, i discovered that if i howled at her, she would howl back at me. so we'd bark and howl at each other. i could get her so excited and rowdy but the minute i said "kisses", she stopped play biting and would lick my hand or my face.

at night, she would jump up into our bed and cuddle in the crook behind my knees. she often would cuddle so close that i'd get too warm and move away. and within a matter of minutes, she'd cuddle right back up. sometimes, it seemed like she couldn't get close enough, so in the morning, i'd be on the corner of my bed and she'd have the rest of it because she kept scooting closer to me during the night. she always knew when i was having a difficult time emotionally. when i was upset, she would be so content to just let me hold her. i often couldn't fall asleep without holding her paws in my hands and breathing deeply against her back, smelling her "good dog smell". she smelled like home.

i can't believe she's really gone. i miss her so much already. every time i turn a corner, i expect her to come bounding up behind me, tail wagging and ready to play. i wake up and in my half conscious state, wonder why she isn't there. this is the first real loss i've experienced and i wonder how people make it through tragedy. every heartache i've had previous to this i've had her to comfort me. i never felt alone with her by my side. because her passing is the worst heartache of all, i'm not quite sure what to do next. its a heart breaking experience.

i know her spirit is alive and well in heaven. i know she is making friends and giving comfort to those who have passed before me. and i also know she would want me to find another fur-child to take care of me. i love her more than i've ever loved anyone or anything else. i raised her and trained her, so i feel like her essence and soul were reflections of the best parts of myself, and now that she is gone, a part of me is missing.

so to zoey: i will never, ever forget the light in your eyes, the protection in your bark, the way your fur smelled after a bath, and your unconditional love, my dear sweet zo. i pray that heavenly father will bless your soul until i can see you again.

love always, momma