First out of focus photo, taken by me as an 11 year old in 1998. Second two shots of me and Schnoog in 2008. Last four photos of old lady Schnoog in 2011 and 2012.

Yesterday was a sad day. A day that we hoped would never come but eventually had to. Yesterday was the day we said goodbye. At the grand old age of 16, my family’s dear little dog Honey (affectionately known as Schnoog) passed away.

I wondered whether or not to write this post. I wasn’t sure this was something I should share here as none of you (or at least very few of you) knew Schnoog, so her passing bares little significance to you. It’s also not a very cheery subject and we do try to keep things positive in this space, but this little dog was such an important part of my life, it felt wrong to say nothing. This blog follows our journey, so it seems only right for me share this part of our story. It also felt important for me to honour her here in some small way.

Honey became a part of our family when I was 9 years old. We adopted her just a short time after my parents separated, at the beginning of a new chapter for our family. In the 16 years that we shared with Schnoog, we all grew and changed and our lives evolved, many times over. Through some extremely difficult times (particularly during my teen years) Schnoog was one of the few constants in my life. When I left home I looked forward to seeing her as much as looked forward to catching up with my mum and brother. She was fiercely loyal, adorably affectionate and unhealthily obsessed with anything sweet. She was also fond of rummaging through the rubbish for tasty scraps (we lovingly dubbed her “the bin rat”) and she felt the cold terribly. In the cooler months you rarely saw Schnoog without one of her little jackets on (my mum sewed all her rugs and some were four layers thick!) She was such a sweet and funny little character. We will all miss her so much.

I know not everyone is an “animal person” so some people might struggle to understand the grief of losing a fur baby, but in our animal-loving world, dogs and cats (and all other pets) are family. We love them to pieces. It’s still quite hard for me to comprehend that she is gone, but I am so grateful to have had so many years with Honey. She is a part of so many treasured memories.

Rest in peace dear Schnoogie. You will always hold a very special place in my heart.

Today we are holding Daisy, Poppy and Sebby extra close. I hope you are having a nice week and getting plenty of time with those you love most. Don’t forget to give your furry little ones a squeeze.

Katie x