I was a little kid when we rescued Buddy, my parents brought him home and we all instantly fell in love. He was such a cute puppy, his head was bigger than his body so he would flip over when we would play fetch. We grew up together, he was there for all my major life events. He watched me go through elementary school and junior high, he was there when I graduated from high school and from college. Buddy was the ultimate best friend; he laid with me when I was upset, celebrated when I was happy and was always so excited to see me when I would come home.

After twelve years of unconditional love we had to make the decision to put him down. He lived such an amazing life and didn't deserve to live in pain anymore. Old age got the best of him.

The day we put him down was one of the hardest days I have had to go through so far, so many tears were shed. Knowing that we would never see him again was the hardest part.

People may think I am silly because I am mourning the loss of my dog, but he was more than that, he was a major part of our family. He had a personality and such a joy to be around.

His loss affected our whole family, he went from brightening our day to not being here at all. That is the harsh reality of being a dog owner, knowing that one day they won't be here anymore. He had such an amazing life and really made our lives better.

I still go to look for him, I still want to share my food with him, I still wait for him to come lay with me on the couch. I will always miss him but understand that he is in a better place now. He is no longer suffering.

Losing a dog is hard, it is like losing someone in your family. Not everyone will understand or sympathize with me, but so many people have been supportive and shown their love. Dogs are amazing, they are loving and so sweet. I am so glad we were able to rescue Buddy and give him the best life possible. He truly had it made, we gave him that second chance, we gave him more love than I think he ever could have imagined. He will be missed, but he will also be remembered as being that fierce dog that changed our lives.