Heather Beadles Photography | Edmond Oklahoma City Photography

In the spring of 1998, in the third year of our marriage, I received the best birthday gift ever from my sweet husband…a puppy. We had just survived a year of being separated thanks to a US Army Deployment, and it was a perfect surprise.

We named our black miniature schnauzer pup Lila, which in Hebrew means night. She was my first baby, staying right by my side while I studied my way through grad school and often begging to get in our bed and under the covers by our feet. Eventually she would come up for air and settle down by our heads.

As we moved on from Dallas to Nacogdoches, I couldn’t imagine loving a real baby as much as I loved her. Yet of course I did, and Lila got demoted when our son was born. I begged for her life when she bit our toddler Jack, because he WAS in her food bowl after all. She eventually mellowed and got used to one, then two, then four crumb-droppers.

Lila was the most faithful and loyal friend I’ve ever known. It was unconditional love. When I ignored her after we had kids, she still stayed right by my side. When she was banished from sleeping in our bed to the laundry room, she missed me. When I treated her poorly, she always forgave. Lila hated to be left behind when we would leave town, sulking when she saw the suitcases, yet thrilled to see me when I returned. Many times over the years when I was down, Lila was the one who crawled into my lap and caught my tears. She was my constant companion, following me from room to room as I worked in our home. She loved me the most, and I loved her for that.

When I stop and think about it, I suppose her faithfulness to me was just a tiny glimpse of how much I’m loved by the One who created her…and me. Dogs are truly one of God’s best creations.

Last week we had to say goodbye to Lila. I had been avoiding it for months…in fact, we probably should have let her rest in Texas. Thirteen-and-a-half dog years is 94 people years, and Lila was blind and deaf, could hardly stand up because of her arthritis and was downright miserable. We snapped this last photo with her…and then Riley and I promptly bawled our eyes out. It was the right decision as she was suffering, but such a hard one. Even now the tears are falling.

Don’t get me wrong, Lila was a dog, not a person. Unfortunately our family is very familiar with great loss and losing our dog does not even compare. At all. Yet, the house has been very empty this week…now I’m really at home alone in a new town while the kids are at school. I miss my Lila but am so very grateful for our 13.5 years of friendship. And of course, in this household full of kids, discussions have already begun as to what kind of dog will be next.

Oh, and one more thing…I really don’t need or want to hear opinions about putting dogs to sleep. It was a difficult decision. Thanks.