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We never really feel ready for goodbye. Even when the signs are there — the slower walks, the graying face, the longer naps — it still catches our hearts off guard. When our dogs get older, time begins to feel like something you can hear ticking in the quiet of the house.
But here’s the beautiful truth: there's still time to make memories. And not grand, cinematic ones. Just deeply personal ones that you’ll carry in your heart long after the leash is hung up for good.
Here are eight gentle, meaningful ways to soak up the days you have left together.
1. Take One Last Adventure (Big or Small)
This doesn’t have to mean a cross-country trip. Maybe it’s just a drive to their favorite park, or a weekend at a dog-friendly cabin. Skye and I once spent a night under the stars in our backyard, curled up in a tent. She snored the whole night through, but I lay awake, listening to her, knowing it was one of our last adventures.
The goal isn’t distance. It’s presence.
2. Make a Paw Print Keepsake
It might feel cheesy until you hold it in your hands later. Use air-dry clay or a simple ink pad and paper. Add their name. Add the date. And let that print remind you of the weight that once followed you from room to room.
3. Create a Snack Board Just for Them
Celebrate their favorite flavors. Cheese cubes, apple slices, bits of boiled chicken. Nothing that upsets their tummy, just the good stuff. Lay it out like a doggie charcuterie board and watch their tail wag like old times.
4. Tell Them Their Story
Sit down somewhere quiet. Look into their cloudy eyes. And tell them. About the first day you met. The times they made you laugh. The nights they made you feel less alone. Dogs may not understand words, but they feel the love in our voice.
5. Take Golden Hour Photos
Pick a warm afternoon when the light is soft. Capture their face, their paws, their sleepy grin. Ask a friend to help so you can be in the photos too. These won’t be for Instagram. They’ll be for later, when your memory needs a nudge.
6. Let Them Break the Rules
Couch privileges? Go for it. Bacon from your breakfast? Maybe just a bite. One last squirrel chase even if they’re a little creaky? Supervised, of course. Let them feel like a puppy one more time. Let them win.
7. Record Their Sounds
That snore, that sigh, that soft little bark at the mailman. Pull out your phone and record them. Later, you’ll be surprised how much you miss the sound of their presence.
8. Be There, Fully
When the time comes, be there. Not on your phone, not numbing out. Just there. Nose to nose. Heart to heart. If they can go in your arms, let them. There is no perfect goodbye, but there is presence. And that makes all the difference.
Every dog leaves something behind. A toy. A pawprint. A habit of waiting by the door.
But the real legacy? It’s the love we learn to carry. The kind that doesn’t disappear. It just settles into the quiet, waiting to be remembered.
So go make a few more memories. The kind that soften the ache later. The kind your heart will want to visit again and again.