You did a good job, human.
You did a good job at feeding me.
Sometimes it was boring food, and sometimes it was my favorite. But you fed me every day, and that was my favorite time of day.
Sometimes I begged for more and you said no. But sometimes your eye twinkled and you said yes.
Sometimes you sneaked extra special yummy bits to me under the table when no one else was looking (And sometimes they sneaked me extra special yummy bits when YOU weren’t looking).
You always fed me, every day.
You did a good job at playing with me.
You’d throw the ball so many times! Even though it was probably never enough for me, I know that your human arm would get tired, and that’s ok. Playing ball with you was the best.
Or you’d dangle that string in my face and I would do everything I could to pin it to the ground. Or steal it from you. Sometimes I would win. And if I wouldn’t, it was because I pretended I didn’t care anymore (though secretly I did). You knew this, and you’d always pick that string up again, and I’d always be ready to pounce once more! I loved chasing that string with you.
You did a good job at cuddling me.
You’d pull my face close to yours, and kiss the top of my head. That was my favorite.
Or you’d wrap your arms around my body and hug me tight and whisper all those nice words in my ear, about how good I was, and about how pretty I was, and about how much you loved me.
Or I’d climb on top of you in the middle of the night and purr in your face, and you would scratch my head no matter how sleepy you were.
Or sometimes for nap time you would let me climb up on the couch with you, and we barely fit on there together, but that made it even better. The closer I could cuddle with you, the more I loved it.
I sure loved being close to you.
You did a good job at taking me to the vet.
I really hated it there. But somehow I always ended up feeling better once I got home.
You forced weird tasting things into my food or into my mouth, and that was so gross. But somehow I always ended up feeling better after that, too.
You did a good job at caring for me.
You did a good job at saying “no.”
Even though I didn’t like it at the time, I know you only wanted what was best for me.
You said “no” if I got too close to the street. Thank you. I was dumb, sometimes, and you just wanted to keep me safe.
You said “no” if I was getting too fat. That’s fair.
You said “no” when I barked too loud. Sorry. I sure could be noisy, couldn’t I?
You said “no” when I hissed at my brother. I still think you didn’t understand what I was saying, but it’s ok. I know you loved him, too.
You said “no” when I played too hard with your nice things and they accidentally became shredded. I am sorry. Also…..my brother did it.
You said “no” when I dug holes in your pretty garden.
You said “no” when I jumped on the counter.
You said “no” sometimes, and sometimes, you said “no” lots of times! But that was a good thing. You said “no” because you wanted to set important boundaries, and I needed them. You did a good job with “no.”
You did a good job at loving me.
You squealed my name when you got home every day, and I could tell you were so happy to see me. I was so happy to see you, too.
You praised me when I did things right, and that made me so proud.
You laughed when I did silly things, and I could see so much joy on your face. I so loved making you laugh. Your laugh was my favorite.
You rubbed my belly when I asked you to (and you stopped when I asked you to stop).
You always kissed the top of my head, and I always loved that. Come to think of it, the top of my head got a lot of love. I must have had a really nice top-of-my-head.
You knew when I started getting tired, and you made sure to slow things down a little. That made me feel important. It made me feel loved.
You knew when my body started hurting and I needed more medicine.
You knew when my body started hurting and I needed more rest.
You knew when I couldn’t go on walks anymore, and even though I missed them so much, I am glad that you knew what was best for me.
You loved me even though my face got all grey. You still called me handsome.
You loved me even though my legs started giving out and we couldn’t play much anymore.
You loved me even though I started having accidents. I felt so bad, but you called me your best sweetie anyway.
And when I finally got too tired, and my eyes started letting you know, you loved me so much that you knew it was time to say goodbye.
I didn’t want to say goodbye, because I didn’t want to leave you. I loved you so much, too!
I loved your nice voice.
I loved the way you petted me and rubbed me and kissed the top of my head.
I loved all my silly nicknames.
I loved my house.
I loved my family.
I loved my life with you.
But I needed help, and you loved me so very much that you were willing to break your heart to ease my pain.
You did a good job when we said “goodbye.”
You told me a billion times that you loved me, and that I was the best sweetie ever.
My nice top-of-my-head got so many pets and kisses.
You gave me my favorite treats, and this time, there were no “no’s.” It was wonderful.
You looked into my eyes, and though I could tell you were sad, I could also see all the love in your soul, looking into mine.
We said “goodbye.” But I know I’ll see you again. Heaven is a really beautiful place. I couldn’t have picked a prettier spot to wait for you. I can’t wait to show you around.
You did a good job, human. I loved my life with you.