The quiet. The stillness. The loss of presence.
Gone are those soft sounds.
The quiet yawn. The simple wag of the tail to say I love you.
The not really raised ears that heard what you could not.
The nose that moved to sift the air.
That smile and whine of greeting.
The head that appeared magically beneath unoccupied hand.
The tug of the leash, nose to ground and puddle found.
Laptime. Bedtime walks to end of deck. A morning nuzzle.
The race to door, ready to go. Deep sigh if no.
Picture ham. Headbone lovin's. Those hands of paw. Cold nose.
The search in the basket of toys to find just the right one.
The tug of the leash when biking, no pedals needed.
Dog body surfing back to the beach with ball. Sand dog with sparkling eyes and twisting nose. No ride home.
Long walks in Seaside park. A favorite place.
The tug of the leash and tangled feet on roller blades.
Towel wrestling after the bath.
Christmas presents anticipated and opened.
An unquestioning love.
We have lost our dog friend. Our dog child.
Replaced with an empty space in our hearts.