2016 has not been the easiest year for me. I am more than ready for it to be over for more reasons than one, but the event that really turned my life upside down this year was losing all three of my pets within six months of each other. There was my cat, Nothing, who we lost in January, my dog, Bella, who we lost in April, and my beloved Bruno, who we lost, unexpectedly, in June. Anyone who knows me knows that I am the biggest dog lover there is. I'm not sure if it's because I am an only child or what, but Bella and Bruno were like my siblings. They had the ability to make the worst day better. Bella and Bruno took all my problems away while I was in their presence. It is truly amazing how dogs can have such amazing healing capabilities.

I remember the day I was playing with Bella, who was seven, on the floor giving her her daily belly rubs and kisses and I felt a strange lump on the side of her neck. I brought it to my mom's attention and tried to put it in the back of my mind for the rest of the day, thinking maybe she was getting a cold or something. The next day, as I was getting ready for work in the morning, my mom told me she was going to take Bella to the vet to have the lump checked out. On my way to work I couldn't help but cry because I knew if my mom was acting on something so quickly, that it was more serious than I thought. I had to be sent home from work early because I truly could not quit crying. Both my mom and I knew that the only thing we could do was give her as many hugs and kisses as possible and to keep her comfortable for the remainder of her young life. Fast forward a couple months later, I remember my mom waking me up around 8am saying that it was time to take Bella to the vet. I immediately broke down into tears, barely awake. I got up and just sat on the floor and held Bella as close and I could. As I watched her walk out the door, all I remember thinking was "this is the last time I'm going to see my Bella." And then she was gone forever.

Shortly after Bella crossed the rainbow bridge, Bruno, who was six, became ill. I'd like to say I didn't have favorites, but Bruno always, and still does today, hold a special place in my heart. He was my best friend and I loved more than anything telling my friends and family about him and constantly telling them how much I loved that little guy. One day, my mom and I noticed he wasn't his usual happy self; we thought he might've had a puppy cold. We took him to the vet a day or so later and the vet told us that Bruno was anemic. I didn't really know exactly what that meant but it sounded like something that could be treated easily so I wasn't going to let myself get too worried. The vet gave him some antibiotics and sent him home.

About a week later, my mom had to have a minor surgery in the morning and I was taking her to the hospital. We left around 7 that morning and I remember walking out the door and Bruno was standing in the hallway giving me a sad look. Little did I know, that would be the last time I would ever see my baby. While my mom and I were at the hospital, my grandma and grandpa took Bruno to the vet to get his daily fluids, no big deal. My mom and I arrived home from the hospital around 4 that afternoon. My grandma was supposed to pick up Bruno from the vet about an hour later and bring him home. We received a phone call shortly before 5 and it was the worst and most unexpected news. My grandma called to tell us that Bruno had taken a turn for the worse and that he wasn't going to make it.

I remember my mom coming into the room to tell me and I immediately broke down and started having a panic attack. I couldn't believe what was happening and I just kept praying that this was all a bad dream and that I would wake up soon. I felt like my heart was going to explode. All I could manage to say was "why God, why me?" My mom and I made the difficult decision to have Bruno put down while my grandma was there to comfort him. All I could do that day was cry and ask God "what have I done to deserve to lose all of my animals this year?" Today, I still ask this question and I still cry when I think about him, but I am very blessed to have the time that we had together. I guess God thought Bella was getting lonely in puppy heaven so he sent Bruno up there to be reunited with her. It may not seem like much to some people, but for me, my dogs were my everything and I am still coping with their loss today. Even though I miss Bella and Bruno more than anything and wish they were still here to turn my bad days around, there are many reasons I want to thank them.

Thank you for always loving me unconditionally, even when I found it hard to love myself.

Thank you for letting me give you endless amounts of kisses and for letting me smother you to death with hugs.

Thank you for being the best shotgun riders when I would take you for car rides.

Thank you for having scary barks and making us feel protected in our house at all times.

Thank you for always greeting me at the door after a long day of work or school.

Thank you for being the best walking partners.

Thank you for being so photogenic so I could take the best pictures of the both of you to share on social media.

Thank you for being the worlds best cuddle bugs.

Thank you for always jumping on me no matter how bad it hurt.

Thank you for teaching me patience.

Thank you for recognizing when I was sad and coming to me to make me feel better.

Thank you for all of your silly acts you two would put on for my mom and I.

Thank you for always being so goofy and never failing to put a smile on my face.

But most importantly,

Thank you so much for being the best dogs I could ever have imagined. No other dog will compare to you guys and I am eternally grateful for the time I had with the both of you.

I love and miss you more than anything, Bella and Bruno. I hope you're having fun up in puppy heaven and doing the things you loved the most like chasing innocent squirrels, barking continuously for no reason, and chewing up endless amounts of toys.