9/30/17 - Oh, Bugaboo. 11 years ago this evening you left us for the Rainbow Bridge. We miss you so much. Watch over your sissy and brother. We love you all so, so much.

12/22/16 - Dearest Bugaboo, your little brother is with you now. Show him around, take care of him. We love you all so much.

I lost you 5 years ago today, my sugar plum fairy, and I miss you just as much. Knowing you changed me, and losing you changed me even more.

I will never get over missing you, precious girl.

September 30, 2006 - You left us this evening, Bugaboo. How we miss you...

I'll never forget the ad in the paper -- "Golden Retriever?" That's it -- and a phone number. That's all it said. When I called, the woman on the other end said they had one little girl left, and they knew she wasn't purebred because of the white blaze on her nose. I said, "Hang on to her; I'm on my way."

That was mid-April of 1997, and Hailey was just six weeks old, her eyes still glazed with the blue of a baby. As she sat alone in her straw-filled box, the last of the litter to be chosen, she looked up at me and her heart said to mine, "Will you be my mom?" The words "You had me at hello" were never more accurate, and from that moment on, she was my precious girl, my sugar plum fairy, my bugaboo, my puppy who loves me.

She slept wrapped in my robe -- the two of us on the laundry room floor -- because I wanted her to know that I would always be there for her. She returned the favor by becoming my 70-pound lap dog. She licked my face and nibbled my ears when she was a baby and tackled me and sat on my head as a grownup. Even as she aged, my Bugs lived life at Mach 9.

It didn't take long for us to know that, while Molly was our little lady, Hailey would be our athlete, and very much the one in charge. We spent hours and hours in the yard watching the two of them play, with Molly ever the energy conservationist and Hailey screaming around the yard at break-neck speed. Oh, how our hearts laughed! And we knew we were very blessed to have two wonderful girls to love and who loved us without question. How lucky we were!

In December of '04 when Molly left us for Rainbow Bridge, Hailey mourned with us, but kept us close and worked hard to fill our hearts with joy. She has taken care of me through the ups and downs, the illnesses and surgeries, always by my side, always encouraging me with her love and dedication.

Hailey, you are my heart. You and Molly and your dad have given me more than I ever could have dreamed. Memories of our oh, so brief time together in this life will help fill the hole in my heart that your leaving creates -- and I have your dad to help me, too. As surely as your golden and yellow hair has woven its way permanently into the fabric of our couches, your sparkle and spirit will live on in our hearts and minds forever and ever. I'll never forget your spunk and fire and the way you taught us how to live in the moment and how to take advantage of every ounce of joy in that moment and just breathe it in.

Your Tigger-like jumps onto the couch -- all four legs at once -- and the way you would lean into me and I would put my arm around you, and we would sit together watching TV. That little devilish light in your eyes, your softer-than-velvet ears, and how I always buried my face in your fur. Those three or four hairs on the top of your head that didn't match anything and looked just like cheat grass, especially when they stood up straight. The way you rolled your eyes when I asked you to shake for a treat -- "that's so dog, Mom." How you stalked the quail on the fence and scared the pants off the pizza boy, the way you played in your pool and the jingle of your ball. How you would play catch with yourself and hide your ball in your blanket and then pretend to be frantic looking for it.

The way you would steal your dad's towel off the rack and then roll and roll on it, smiling all the while. Or when we weren't looking, how you would jump on the bed and steal Dad's pillow. You just loved his scent. And how you would gently take my wrist in your mouth and lead me up the stairs when I got home from work, as if to say, "My turn, Mom; it's my turn now." You helped me define who I am and what's important in this life, and I'm in awe at how lucky I was that day you looked up from your straw box and asked me to be your mom. Thank you, little girl, thank you.

"...and I bless the day I met you, and I thank God that He let you sit beside me for a moment that lives on. And the good news is I'm better for the time we spent together..."

Please also visit Molly.