How do you say good-bye to your best friend?

The pain of losing my sweet boy after eleven years together is so raw.

Rudy was the one there through it all.

He was there for every adventure, every camping trip, and every hike. Tacos, Mexico trips, climbing Fourteeners, paddleboarding, sofa snuggles… he never missed.

He was there for me, though, too.

All the loves, the losses, my failures, the victories–he witnessed all of it with me.

He was with me through all the changes. Big and small. His love for me never wavered.

It hurts so much to say goodbye. I’ll miss him forever.

My human best friend told me that he was my heart-dog, my souldog. And he was. Someone else told me that he still misses his dog even now, ten years later. I don’t know if I will ever stop missing him.

There’s an old saying, “all dogs go to heaven” and I believe it. I know I will see him again.