Not Just a Dog, a Family Member

Dutchess is/was my dog/best friend for 17 years. She was born to us (our dog had puppies) when I was 4 yrs old. My very first memory was when I was five so needless to say I cannot remember a time without her. Dutchess and I had a special bond. I could read her like a mother can read their child's cry. Although I don't remember her as a puppy my mom used to tell me all the time that I didn't choose Dutchess she chose me. You see my parents told me to pick the puppy we would keep and when I walked toward the puppies Dutchess came to me... essentially she chose me. I also named her. The point of this post is to annouce the death of my beautiful puppy. On July 3rd she started having seizures, my dad took her to the emergency vet, and the vet basically told him it was her time to go. So he injected her. Dad says it was peaceful, that he stroked her head as she passed, but I wish I could have been there to hold her and tell how much I love her as she went. I have and always will have a soft spot in my heart for her. She saw me through some tough times, as well as some good ones. I think Dutchy and I had more than just the average bond between human and dog. She was more than just a dog she was like a member of my family. My Dad says he cried for 3 days over her, and I couldn't stop crying last night (I just found out yesterday). This morning I got in the car and opened the box with her collar and harness in it. I sniffed it and was immediatly hit with a wave of emotion. I put it away as fast as I could to stop the tears from coming. I have been thinking about getting a tattoo in her memory, although I haven't decided for sure.