💎🐾 Saying Goodbye to Diamond — A Love That Leaves Paw Prints on Our Hearts 🐾💎

Today, our home is a little quieter.

Our hearts are a little heavier.

And there is an empty place where four little paws used to be.

Today, Ron and I had to say goodbye to our sweet Diamond. 💎🐾

Diamond is now in Doggie Heaven. She is no longer in pain, and I choose to picture her running free again — reunited with her Shih Tzu brother, DustyBuster, and her Beagle sister, KonaBella. I can almost imagine the three of them together again, running, playing and waiting for the day when we will see them once more. ❤️🐾

It happened so quickly...

Just a few days ago, we were trying to figure out what was wrong with our sweet girl.

On August 5th, we took Diamond to the veterinarian. We were concerned that she might have Lyme disease because we had found a tick on her several times this summer.

We also knew something had changed.

Since losing DustyBuster a few months ago, Diamond seemed depressed and lonely. She missed her brother. We could see it in her.

But there were other changes, too.

She began finding places to lie down away from us. Sometimes she would simply stand a distance away and stare at us — or stare at nothing at all. Even when she was sitting on the couch with us, she would sometimes suddenly get up and go to bed.

Our bed, of course. ❤️

That wasn't our Diamond.

Then came the shaking — little bouts of shivering as though she were cold — and she became increasingly picky about her food.

So we did what you do when you love someone.

We took her to the vet.

They performed a complete wellness check, ran tests and tested a fecal sample. We were also told that two shots were due, so we went ahead with those while we were there.

We came home thinking we were doing everything we could to help her.

Diamond went to sleep.

Later, when it was time to eat, she wasn't interested in her food. She ate just a little.

By the next morning, she didn't really want anything at all.

We wondered if she was simply reacting to the shots.

Then the veterinarian called with the test results.

There was good news.

It wasn't Lyme disease.

But then came the news that broke our hearts.

Kidney disease.

And Diamond was getting worse.

She stopped eating.

Then she stopped drinking.

At that point, the hardest decision a loving pet owner can ever make became painfully clear.

We couldn't let our sweet girl suffer.

So today, we said goodbye.

Sometimes love means letting go.

As a Realtor, I spend my days helping people through some of life's biggest transitions — buying homes, selling homes, moving, starting over and making memories in the places they call home.

But there is another kind of home that isn't measured in square feet.

Home is where the heart is.

And Diamond was part of our home.

She was part of our family.

For me, being a wife, a mother, grandmother and great-grandmother has taught me that life is made up of moments. Some are big and exciting. Others are quiet and ordinary.

And then there are the moments we wish we could hold onto forever.

Diamond gave us so many of those moments.

The companionship.

The unconditional love.

The little routines.

The funny habits.

The comfort of knowing that someone was always happy to see you walk through the door.

Dogs have a way of becoming part of the rhythm of our lives without us even realizing how deeply they have woven themselves into our hearts.

Until suddenly, they're gone.

But I don't want today to only be about loss.

I want it to be about gratitude.

I am grateful that God allowed Diamond to be part of our lives.

I am grateful for every cuddle, every silly moment, every look she gave us and every memory she left behind.

And I am grateful that when her body could no longer keep going, we were able to make the difficult choice to put her comfort before our own desire to keep her with us.

That doesn't make saying goodbye easy.

It just makes it an act of love.

My faith reminds me that God sees every creature He has made. And while I don't pretend to know exactly what Heaven looks like for our beloved pets, I find tremendous comfort imagining Diamond whole and happy again.

No more shaking.

No more pain.

No more struggling to eat or drink.

Just running free.

And perhaps somewhere beyond what we can see, DustyBuster and KonaBella came running to meet her.

I like to think they were waiting.

So tonight, our house feels different.

There is an empty spot.

There is a silence where there used to be little paws.

And there are tears.

But there is also love.

A whole lot of love.

Run free, sweet Diamond. 💎🐾

Thank you for being our girl.

Thank you for the love you gave us.

Thank you for the memories.

You may no longer be beside us, but you will always be a part of our family and forever have a paw print on our hearts.

Until we meet again...

Love,
Mom & Dad ❤️🐾

If you have ever loved and lost a beloved pet, you understand that they are never "just a dog." They are family. Please keep Ron and me in your prayers as we adjust to this very empty place in our hearts and home.