Fourteen years ago I decided that I wanted to get a pet and went on a quest to find the perfect dog. I fell in love with an adorable Cocker Spaniel that I took home and named Coco. She was the sweetest puppy ever and she gave my family and I 14 wonderful years. She was my first baby before my human babies came into my life. She was the perfect dog who loved us unconditionally.

For the past two years my sweet Coco had been dealing with numerous issues that come with old age. Her health overall was good but her sight and hearing were going, she was getting more moles, was thirsty all the time and was developing incontinence. Basically she was aging and there was no way of stopping everything that came with that.

Yet a special memory that brings a smile to my face is when I realized that I was telling my friend Allison that Coco was 9 years old - every year, over and over. Allison finally said to me ,”Daphne how can she be 9 again?” We still laugh about that to this day. I guess I was in denial that Coco was getting older because in my mind Coco would live forever.Sadly, that just wasn’t possible and we would eventually have to face the inevitable.

This past December our poor Coco was not doing well and my family and I had to make the decision to put her to sleep. It was a heart wrenching decision and one that did not come lightly. We didn’t want her to suffer and we thought it was best to let her go in peace. My heart broke not only because it was time to say goodbye to her but because it would be so difficult to tell our children.

Our 9 year old son was completely devastated and wanted her to stay with us at least until Christmas. And our 4 year old daughter was trying so hard to process what was going on because death to her wasn’t yet something she was familiar with. There were many tears on that day and saying goodbye to Coco was painful for us all. I sent the kids home with my husband and I held Coco until she took her last breath. I didn’t want her to be alone.

I always knew that I would be sad when this day came but I had no idea how sad I really was going to feel. Especially seeing our children cry the next few nights - it broke my heart.

A friend of mine recommended a wonderful book called Dog Heaven by Cynthia Rylant. It was a sweet book with lovely illustrations that helped our children grieve for Coco and help them to understand that she was in a better place. They prayed every night for her. And my son and I, on several occasions, could hear her footsteps and the jingle of her collar. It made us smile but also brought tears to our eyes.

The house was quiet without her and the kids were missing her.

I thought for sure we were going to wait awhile before even thinking about having another dog. It was just too painful to even consider finding another dog and near to impossible to find one as great as Coco. But not long after Coco went to heaven an abandoned puppy came into our lives. It was unexpected and unplanned. This sweet, barely 3lb puppy that had been abandoned on the side of the road and needed a home stole my heart.

My friend had helped in fostering her until a permanent family could be found for her. And as fate would have it we turned out to be that family!

I am a true believer that everything happens for a reason and our newest addition to our family came to us for a reason - to put smiles back on our children’s faces. We named this adorable puppy Libby Lu and she has been with us since December.

We don’t feel that we replaced Coco but felt that Coco had sent this precious puppy to us knowing we missed her terribly. Libby Lu has brought joy to our family and the children continue to talk about Coco but now without the tears in their eyes. Libby Lu is thriving and is now a 15lb puppy. We think she is part boxer and may grow to be about 50lbs.

Our children are very involved in taking care of her and she gets a lot of hugs and love. It was perfect timing for us even though we didn’t think so then. Losing our beloved pet taught us many things and one important lesson it did teach us was that we still had room in our hearts to love a new puppy.

If you are thinking about getting a pet please check out your local rescue groups and animal shelters. There are so many unwanted pets who need loving homes. Research what type of dog would be best suited for your family and lifestyle. Adopting a pet is a big responsibility but comes with so many rewards.

We are so grateful to have had Coco in our lives and just as grateful that she sent Libby Lu to us. Our lives would not be the same without these precious dogs in our life.

We will always love and miss you, Coco. Goodbye old friend.