One of the most incredible things you can do to add to your personal style and the style of your home is to make a dog (or a cat) a part of it. Over the 14 years our yellow lab Lucky was with us, she sat on pretty much every surface. Yes, there has been tons of dog hair floating through my house, fur balls hidden in the corners and under the furniture. As a puppy she ate a leather sofa, dented an heirloom necklace while teething, humped my velvet pillows (eeeew) and jumped up on counters to eat a perfectly baked cake, chicken, steak and loaves of bread. As she became older she ruined a rug or two, had the worst garbage breath, kept the carpet cleaner in business and took ownership of all my time.

And yet.

She was the best at making our house feel like a home. Sometimes, when I walked barefoot on our wood floors I could feel the warmth of her body on my feet after she had just gotten up. If I dropped something while eating, she was there to make it look like it didn’t happen. The sound of her little paws added to the timbre of a quiet morning. Her bark reassured us however weakly, that she was our warning system. I knew my community better because of our constant walks. Her friendliness brought neighbors into my life and even secured clients for me. My body and spirit were enriched by keeping up with hers. When anyone of us was mad, sad or generally hating the world, she was our safe haven of love. Just the thought of her when I out was enough to make me smile and get excited to return home.

So, now that she is gone, the fur is minimizing, the time spent tending to her is available, and my home is cleaner. But so what?  I am reminded so many ways I will miss her. How our house isn’t the same and how she was an infinite addition to our lives.

Her remains are in a tiny box on a bookcase near where she hung out with me in our study. I glance up to it and thank god she was ours and know she is really still here and will always live in our hearts no matter where we are.