Charlotte used to like to lay between my knees. I'm not sure why, but that was her favorite spot. If you tried to deny her this spot, she would scratch at your legs until you widened them enough for her to crawl between.

It has now been a little over four months since Charlotte passed. I cried every day for the first week or so. Then I would only cry when I tried to talk about her. Now I would say that I smile wistfully when I think of her.

I realize Charlotte was a dog. But she was my dog. My first dog. I have no husband or boyfriend (that's a whole other post, let me tell you.), and I have no children. So, I put a lot of energy into my animals because as much as they can annoy me at times, they make me happy. They give me comfort.

Bayleigh and I had a rough start. I was guilt-tripped by the pet store employee into buying her, and it was clear from Day 1 that Bayleigh had issues. She was the most nervous dog I've ever met, and she was scared to death of men. Any man, except my dad. I can't tell you how many times that I came home from work, and she had crapped all over the place. (For the record, she doesn't crap in the house anymore. If she did, one of us would not have survived the past 6 and a half years.)

One day, I had a friend take care of her so that I could go to an amusement park for the day. There was a note left for me when I returned. It read, "Your dog is a MONSTER."

The poor thing is afraid of her own shadow.

Yet, despite all of her quirks, I love her.

Since Charlotte's passing, Bayleigh insists on lying right by my side. (Right now, she's actually lying on my feet, smacking her mouth, and sighing with content.) This is not normal for Bayleigh. She likes her space. But almost every day since I lost Charlotte, this dog has been by my side instead of taking her normal place on the opposite end of the couch.

Now, I see the grey starting to show in Bayleigh's fur now. I know she has many years left, but it kind of makes me heavy hearted. Why do such beautiful creatures that have such deep and pure love for us have to leave us so quickly?

I know there's no answer. And I also know I can't imagine my life without a dog in it. So for now, I'll enjoy my Bayleigh-girl warming my feet (in July), and I won't complain (too much) when she eats the toilet paper.