Dear Bug,
First, I want to thank "Marley & Me" for making this sort of thing more socially acceptable and less crazy dog lady (even though I’d probably be writing this regardless, just probably not sharing it with the world wide web). I can’t believe you’re 5 years old. As cliché as it sounds, I feel like it was literally yesterday when we scooped you up from that farm and brought you home all covered in mud. I was 15. I thought I knew it all. You were exactly what I needed.
I remember you as a little ball of fur with a nose too big for your face. I remember you with huge paws and clumsy legs that had you tripping over yourself whenever you turned a corner. I remember that first doctor’s appointment when they told us you had holes on your heart. I knew in that moment you were meant for me because along with my clumsy feet, I had holes on my heart when I was born too. We were sisters in whatever way that was possible and everyday since I have been grateful for it.
You have taught me how to love unconditionally. You have taught me patience and simplicity and what it means to find joy in just about everything. When I think of my most loyal confidant, my best teammate, or my favorite snack sharer—it is always you. I can’t imagine the last five years without countless games of hide n’ seek or Twizzlers smuggled under the table when mom wasn’t looking. I wouldn’t trade all the nights we’ve spent running around the house after each other or falling asleep side by side in a bed you take up almost entirely on your own.
You’re my best friend because we’ve never needed words and since day one you have been the best companion a girl could ever ask for. I always believed that there was one dog out there for everyone, I liked to call it your “once in a lifetime dog”—and while I never dreamed I’d find you at 15 I am so lucky I did.
It’s been an honor to grow with you and an honor to be your partner in crime. You are important. You are smart. You are spoiled rotten. You are the very best dog. You love vanilla yogurt, waking up early, and sun bathing. You are my once in a lifetime dog and I can’t wait for the rest of our adventures.
