I lost my baby this morning. It still doesn’t feel real. I keep expecting to hear the sound of his paws tapping gently on the floor, or the soft sigh he made when he curled up next to me on the couch. I keep turning around, thinking I’ll see him waiting by the door like he always did, with eyes so full of love it made everything else disappear. But he’s not there. The house is too quiet now, and the silence is deafening. Only the heartless would look at this moment and not feel the weight of it, not whisper “Rest in peace” for a soul that gave nothing but love. He wasn’t just a dog. He was my child, my shadow, my confidant, my peace in a world that is often anything but peaceful. He was there through every late-night cry, every lonely morning, every small joy and quiet heartbreak. He was love, pure and simple, in a form that wagged its tail and laid its head in my lap. I held him as the light faded from his eyes this morning. I told him I loved him over and over, even though I was choking on my tears. I begged him to stay, even though I knew he was tired. His body was weak, his breath shallow, but he still looked at me with so much trust — like he needed to see my face one last time. And when his breathing stopped, a part of me stopped with him. I can’t explain the ache in my chest. It’s not just grief — it’s a kind of emptiness that reaches into everything. His bed is still in the corner. His leash is still hanging on the wall. His toys are scattered across the floor like memories I’m not ready to touch. Every inch of this house holds a piece of him. And now, every inch of this house feels broken. People might say, “He was just a dog,” but those people have never known what it’s like to be loved by a soul that expects nothing but your presence in return. He never judged me. He never left me. He never asked me to be anything more than exactly who I was. All he wanted was to be near me. And I would give anything — anything — to have just one more moment, one more wag of the tail, one more look from those eyes that understood me better than words ever could. I hope, wherever he is now, he’s free from pain. I hope he’s running across endless fields, chasing butterflies and lying in the sun, waiting patiently for the day we’ll meet again. I hope he knows how deeply he was loved, how much he meant, how
