A little over a week ago, beautiful Zooey, my 5 year old husky labrador, passed away. This is the hardest thing I’ve ever had to go through and by far the most painful. I have had her ever since she was a puppy with the cutest floppy ears and striking icy blue eyes. She stole my heart the moment we met.

Zooey was my first dog which I’m sure is why I’m taking this so hard. But then again, doesn’t matter how many dogs you had, I’m sure it never gets easier when they pass. She gave me so much more happiness than you can imagine. I never knew how strong a bond an owner and their dog could have until she came into my life.

My fiancé, George, and his brother adopted Zooey so she lived with them in the beginning. The three of us decided to work together to take care of her after hearing how much work a husky is. It was a great decision because she would cry and howl all night long for a while. She was also a picky eater so we went through so many different kibble brands. In hindsight we probably should have just stuck to one and teach her that that was her food and she can’t be picky. First time dog owner inexperience. During our first few years together, she also had an endless amount of energy so all of our efforts went towards making sure she got plenty of exercise so that she would relax at home. I would come by a few times a week to hang out with her and take her out to make sure we had plenty of quality time together! Just about a year and a half ago, we decided to move her to my house because it would have been a better place for her. My parents quickly took the role of loving grandparents and spoiled her any chance they could, which I’m sure she appreciated.

I’ll never forget how impressed I was that she was pretty much already potty trained at just 8 weeks old. The first day we brought her home, she was making strange little howling noises in the car. I thought she might have been afraid but when we got back home, I let her run to a little patch of grass and she just does her business! She didn’t really go in the house and only liked going on piles of leaves or grass. Such a smart girl, right?! Well, if the carpet has a texture similar to grass, then all bets are off. George remembers finding her on his family’s nice rug and she just stares at him and squats, so he rushes over to grab her to take her to the yard but as he lifts her up, a couple of nuggets just fell to the floor. He describes her expression at the moment as proud and completely happy with herself.

She had the best unamused expression almost all the time and every once in a while she’d have a goofy look, which makes everyone’s hearts melt. She was a difficult dog, but we loved every aspect of her personality. It made her a very unique and special dog. I’ll miss our long walks everyday, cuddle time, coming home to her happy face, her hilarious grass dance when she sinks her little paws into nice grass, how she loved to nap on the couch with me, and millions more things about her.

I knows she’s resting in peace and will always be with me. I come home each day hoping she’d be there on the couch waiting for me. I almost feel lost without her. Every part of my life really revolved around her. My every day schedule at least includes one walk with her, we were planning on buying a house sometime soon and we wanted to make sure it had plenty of yard space for her, and were somewhat contemplating about having her in our engagement pictures. Without her here, I just feel empty and so unsure. It’s been really hard and I continue to cry a little every day but I’ll try to hold onto the love we had and our best memories together. I don’t have any words to describe our special connection with each other. My only words are ‘unconditional love’. She taught me what that means and this is how I know that she’ll be with me forever. Love you, Zooey.

Sweet dreams, my beautiful girl.