Earlier this month my family of dog-lovers said goodbye to our canine matriarch, Molly. After almost 15 years of supplying nothing but joy, comfort and love, Molly left behind a lot of grieving hearts, mine included.

My sister Booh and her husband Tim got her a year after I left home, and a year after I lost my own childhood dog, Samps, so I latched on to Molly’s sweet face like it was a lifeline of love, because it was. Every trip home for me since has included suffocating her with snuggles and kisses. I loved her like she was my own.

In her very long life she wore many hats. She was their first baby and my first niece…

…she was Bella’s sister and roomie while Joe and I lived overseas…

…she was Lily’s first best friend….

…and she was a lap snuggler supreme.

Spend five minutes with my family and we’ll give you a nickname, even if you’re a dog. “Molly” morphed into many iterations over the years, but the one that’s held true is “Molly Booh Muggle,” or (because we even give nicknames their own nicknames) “Molly Booh Muggs.” It fit her playful personality perfectly.

In looking through old photographs, I noticed that Molly was literally in the background of every moment. It’s fitting, because that’s how I’ll remember her – as always being there. Never one to miss out on any action, she was the sweetest shadow to all of our shenanigans and the gentlest “Sissy” to Booh and Tim’s littles.

I am so thankful Joe and I spent time with Molly a month before her passing, to say our goodbyes, but also to reunite Bella and Molly once more – sisters forever, these two.

And then it was Molly’s time. She had lived a full and wonderful life, but the quality of it was beginning to wane. And, as heart-wrenching as it is, this is the promise we make to our furry babies. A promise of no suffering and a promise of compassion, when their pain can end and become our own.

Some say that losing a dog is so difficult because it triggers a tremendous shift in our daily routines. While that’s true, it’s the loss of their love that makes it feel so crushingly unbearable to me. And Molly was all love. One-hundred percent unconditional, all-encompassing, unwavering, life-changing love. And we will miss her tremendously.

Please enjoy this tribute video to sweet Molly Booh Muggs.