To the best dog I've ever known

Instructions

(Slight TW for mention of throwing up and pet loss) My dog Millie passed away yesterday morning. I didn't hear the news until today, because I was on a trip with my grandparents. I actually threw up because of how upset and stricken I was. This project is a way for me to come to terms with losing my dog and best friend. We first met Millie at a shelter. My childhood dog Walter had passed away many years before, and we weren't ready to bring a new dog into the family just yet. When we met her, we immediately fell in love with her. She was energetic and excitable, but also calm and loveable. The very same day, we signed her adoption papers. We decided to keep the name the shelter gave her. I can't imagine her being named anything else. Millie, being a former street dog, had many problems when we first adopted her. She had massive road burns on her sides, was missing most of her teeth, and had long claw scars on her legs. She was nervous at first, but she quickly warmed up to us and became a part of our family. I remember being frequently shocked at how short a time had passed since we adopted her, because of how she fit into our lifestyle. Millie was also a chaotic, voracious eater. One time, she was left alone in our kitchen, and she took the trash bag out of the can, dragged it all over the house, knocked over a bag of flour and trailed that around as well, ate a bag of chocolates (wrappers included) and didn't even get a stomach ache. She had bowels of steel. She was usually very well-behaved, but you could not trust her around food. Millie was there through some of the hardest moments of my life, especially this year. She was always there, racing to the door to greet us with her happy growls (because she never barked). She loved to lay on top of us like a lapdog, despite being a very large boxer mix. My friends recall stories of her attacking them with hugs and licks. Everyone who met her instantly fell in love with her joy and excitement. We took Millie on long walks every day, her tail wagging as she inspected the wonders of the town. I don't know what I'm going to do without her in my life. How empty will our walks feel without her trailing alongside? How sad will the house feel without her leaping to the door to greet us? This year has been filled with grief and strife. I lost all three of my childhood dogs within six months time, as well as losing my former art teacher and mentor only three weeks ago. I know that one day, I will be able to move on from this. But today, I can't stop dwelling on how young she was, and how quickly her sudden sickness claimed her life. Millie, as far as we know, couldn't have been older than seven years old. She should've had much more time to spend with us. Thank you for reading this. Rest in peace, Millie. <3