I was sitting on the floor today, sorting through household papers - filing, arranging and general what not when I came across a receipt that tore my heart open just a little more. It was the receipt for our dog Jack from the crematorium that he was taken to after we said our goodbyes back in April this year. And having had a rough nights sleep (or lack thereof), lots of things on my mind - well I just burst into tears because we miss Jack ever so much. Scott misses his buddy dearly and Jack's presence is so sorely missed by us all.

As I sat there and wept, our little Abby came over to me and nudged my arm and gave my face a kiss. And it reminded me why dogs rule - they sense our emotion and give us so much comfort when needed. Her small action made the tears slow down and gave me pause to smile and give her kisses. As our only dog in the house for now, she is our world - she makes us laugh, she keeps me company and is the greatest thing to Scott and I both. And I know she misses her buddies whom we have said goodbye to in the last 12 months.

There was her "brother" Jack whom Scott got from an Oregon pound, many years ago. Jack was very much a strong and loving boy with a dash of mischievous thrown in for good measure!!! He was Scott's best friend and Jack's loyalty to his "Dad" was massive. With a deep woof that came from a dog small of stature but huge of heart, he sounded bigger than he was!!! I could go on forever about Jack but all I can say is most people who knew Jack, knew what a brilliant and one of a kind of a dog he was. He was the heart and soul of our home - when we close our eyes and go very quiet, we can see him in our mind and hear the clatter of his nails on the floor as he made his rounds.

Another family member from the start was Deeterman - the darling dog who belonged to Scott's Mom and Dad. He was jokingly referred to as "Forrest Gump" and had such a goofy and funny personality! And he loved hanging out with Jack and Abby - the three of them together were quite a sight and gave us much amusement. Deets was most fond of hugs and crawling over us which was funny since he was a larger guy but it just meant more to love!!! Sadly Deets got older like Jack and his poor body couldn't hold on any more and my in-laws lost their best buddy. It was such a sudden goodbye and I know how much they miss him.

With us for a short time was Zoey, a beautiful lady of a dog who came to us via our dear friend Linda who loved her Zoey so very very much. Linda sadly lost a battle with cancer, a terrible thing that took her away from everyone too soon and as we prepared to say goodbye, we promised to take Zoey and give her a home with us as long as she wanted. Zoey was such a sweet soul with the goofiest ears ever!!! And her "goodnights" were always loving and so precious with ear rubs and kisses. She was with us for about 9 months when she took ill and decided it was time to join her "Mommy" - it was so hard to let her go since she was our reminder of our dear friend Linda but we took comfort knowing they were together again.

So then it was just Abby....lone dog standing. And I know for her, losing her friends was confusing and affected her in ways we'll never be able to fathom. A trip to the vet became something to dread and would we come through the door minus dog or not? Tears flowed as we said goodbyes and Abby was there to keep us holding it together as she has done ever since.

But there are new beginnings and back in May, Scott's parents had a new arrival to the family - a Wheaten called Barley! A lively bundle of energy with a precious face and a happy smile. He's gone from puppy stage to mid puppy stage and is keeping my in-laws on their toes!!! Full of beans and a super mega happy loving nature, Barley's story has just begun and we love that there is a new member of the family - hopefully next year Abby will have a new buddy here with us too! So the losses have been great but the memories always remain and when there are tears, there are still our babies here to love and cherish which they return in abundance.

A thank you to my beautiful Abigail Victoria for giving me the love I needed today to feel better. Thank you for being our goody peanut. And thank you to Jack, Deets and Zoey for being a part of our lives - I hope that where ever you are today, that you are together and keeping an eye on us!!!