My daughter has a best friend… she has four feet and a tail.

 

What little girl wouldn’t love to have a puppy for a best friend, right? However, this bond, their love for one another is something that is unreal. I would have never imagined that this tiny little ball of fluff would become my daughter’s best friend.

 

Their deep love started at my daughter’s arrival. From the first sniff of that baby’s head, they were bonded. She would rest her head on the edge of the bassinet watching that little baby’s chest rise and fall for hours, taking watch over her new human. In those first few weeks she would leap from her spot at the foot of the bed and race me to the nursery at the first sound of her newborn start to cry.

 

As the months grew on, so did their love for one another. Hours were filled with giggles and puppy kisses. She fearfully watched as my daughter started to army crawl across the room, unsure if this new activity was ok.  She was my daughter’s shadow as she started to stubbly walk, sometimes even becoming a landing pad for her falls. She watched over her, and was the first one to offer a loving kiss for every little bump and bruise.

 

As my daughter grew older this little bushy tailed puff of fur overcame her fear of water and received many of baths in the water table.  She willfully took part in pool tea parties, they hunted ants on the front step together, she road shotgun in the little tikes car, and took part in countless paw print outlines in chalk on the hot driveway tar. 

With every pant of a hot day, you swear you could see a smile as she lapped up the joy of spending time with this bossy toddler.

 

They share secrets, countless dress up parties, rounds of playing baby, she continues to eat her weight in pretend cupcakes. The toddler whispers her puppies sweet name as her last breath as she drifts off to sleep every night, and the first thing she calls out for every morning.

 

This small white fur ball with tan little ears has tolerated this loud destructive toddler at every turn. She is my daughter’s best friend. As their days together become limited, I capture those moments together.  I pray she remembers how much this tiny dog loved her.  There is no other bond like a little girl and her dog.