I've posted previously about my dog Charlotte. She was my high school graduation present, and at age 6, she blew two disks in her back. My goal in telling Charlotte's story is to educate people about special needs dogs, and how they can have happy lives too. I'm far from finished telling you Charlotte's story, but today, Charlotte's story came to an end. She was one month away from turning 13.

I love all animals. (Except spiders.) Sometimes I think that I understand animals more than I understand people. For me, Charlotte was my heart and soul of the animal world. I love my other animals, but Charlotte was my first dog. There have been many dark times that when I felt I had no one else, I could lie in the floor with Charlotte, and she would lick my nose as if to say, "It'll be okay, April. Promise."

I'll never forget the day we brought her home. After choosing me as her pet, we drove home with me at the wheel and Charlotte in my mom's lap. We were both so excited. It took eighteen years and quite a few little pets to convince my dad to let us have a dog, and now here she was. And we loved her. When she hurt her back, she attached herself more to my mom than me and when I left home, Charlotte stayed. But she never stopped being my dog.

Today, when I got to my parents' house, Charlotte was in her bed. I knew the moment I saw her that this was good-bye. We've known for a while that this day has been coming, but to see and understand that this was the day was tough to swallow. I got as close as I could to her and I whispered, "It'll be okay, Charlotte. Promise."

I'm not sure that Charlotte was aware of much this morning, but my hope is that she took some comfort in the fact that the two people that loved her the most were with her today. My mom and I brought her into our family with me driving and Charlotte in my mom's lap. Today, we drove to the vet with me driving and Charlotte in my mom's lap. All I could think about on that drive was we had come full circle, and it felt right.

Charlotte, thank you so much for choosing us as your family. For almost 13 years you brought us so much joy. I hope you enjoyed us as much as we enjoyed you. Know that you will be greatly missed and today our hearts are heavy, but we are happy that you are at peace. Rest well, my friend. I love you.

(Two things she loved: raw hides and cheese. She had the raw hide here and was making sure my mom wasn't getting cheese out of the fridge. )