Saying good-bye to a beloved friend

Her name was Ollie (short for Olivia), and she came into our lives seven years ago in the summer of 2012. She was half poodle, half shih tzu. She was small, blonde, puppy-like and absolutely adorable.

We saw her picture on the Odessa Virtual Yard Sale site, immediately fell in love with that face and set up a time to meet her. We had tossed around the idea of getting a dog, though such a small one had never entered our minds. But once we met Ollie, we were hers. There was no question as to who belonged to whom. She may have been a little dog, but her personality was huge.

Living with Ollie was...