Dear Lexy,

This letter is probably the hardest thing I will have written in a long time.

I still have to remind myself that you're gone. I have to tell myself that in the morning when I wake up. It feels so surreal.

It's hard too, that people don't understand. I find myself harboring such distaste towards anyone who expresses in any way that you "were just a dog" because that's simply not the truth.

You were my best friend for nearly a decade. You were there for me from childhood to womanhood. You were there for my elementary school graduation, and you were there for my high school graduation.

You truly were my family.

However mad at those people I get though, Lexy, I know you'd want me to pity them. Because they have seriously missed out if they haven't experienced the bond that four-legged friends can make with humans like me.

I wanted to thank you, sweetheart, for all the smiles you gave me. And all the incredible years. Our walks got shorter as your time on Earth drew to a close, but they always seemed to be filled with just as much fun as the hikes we would take in our formative years.

I also wanted to say that I'm sorry that you went through any sort of pain. But I'm so glad it didn't last long.

I hope you're up there eating as much as you can. I hope that you're in a place where you can chase after squirrels all day long and take naps where it's always sunny.

You were the best friend I could have asked for.

Thanks for everything.

Your friend always,

Kate