In Memory of the Best Dog Ever

This post is quite late in coming, but I decided to still do it. A few weeks ago my mom and step dad had to put our 14 year old dog, Carmel, to sleep. 14 years is a great run, especially for a big golden retriever/chocolate lab mix. We got him on my sister's 8th birthday and our house was never the same! I remember opening the door when my parents came home and screaming when I saw that cute little puppy in a cardboard box. We had been asking for a puppy for years and they totally surprised us with him. Our family went through quite a few tough years after we got him, and he helped us through them all. He was always super excited to see us, even if we had only been gone a few minutes. And he was a terrible bed hog. Some nights I would wake up crammed in the very corner of my twin bed and have to spend several minutes trying to get him off of me. He also loved to sit right by me and lick my tears when I had one of my many teenage crying spells. Dogs are the best at making everyone feel loved. I think we humans have a lot to learn from them. We miss you, Carmel!
These are 2 pages out of a scrapbook that my sister made a few years ago. She made copies for my mom and me. As you can tell, we love our dog :)