This is a sad post about some sad news. If you don't want to read my personal update or read about losing a pet, please skip the content below.

On May 11th 2026 we had to say goodbye to our sweet boomba belly baby, Bella. She was and Olde English Bulldogge and she was 11 years 8 months.

Today we dropped off her food and beds at a local Senior Dog Sanctuary. They had all of these painted rocks outside with all of the babies who had crossed. So many rocks. So many names. All that love 🥹

I'm sending this email because many of you have been along for the ride since 2015 when I started my business and have a pretty big understanding for how much my world revolved around this dog.

We got Bella in November 2014 when she was just 8 weeks old and just 9 lbs. She'd quickly grow much bigger 😂

There wasn't a moment in time when she wasn't doted on, in my lap, or next to me on endless adventures to parks and nature trails. We truly took advantage of every sunset, every new park, and spent countless hours watching the squirrels and birds together.

She was with me when for every deployment my husband has gone on and man have there been a lot.

She had many nicknames:

• 🐶 Boomba

• 🌙 Moonbeam

• 🍄 Goomba

• 🌸 Sugarplum

• 🥔 Potato baby

• 🍞 Biscuit belly burrito baby

• ⭐️ Bello

• 🐶 Bella Maria

• Along with countless others

I've had a lot of loss in my life and grief isn't new to me but I always knew that when the time came to say goodbye to my soul baby, it would be different. And it has been.

If you've lost a pet, you already know the unbearable pain. She was woven into the every microbe of our lives. There are endless reminders of her everywhere which just proves how much love we shared.

Bella changed me. She taught me how to be patient (and tested my patience, too). She showed me how to slow down, how to notice, how to see the world and wait just a moment longer to see it even more.

She showed me an unconditional type of love that expanded my heart and melted me into pieces. I've never loved an animal so deeply, never felt so connected.

At night when she'd fall asleep with her potato belly on top of mine, I'd slowly feel her warm up, her head melting into my foot. It was the best feeling in the world. In those moments life felt perfect.

As my husband and I sat at the emergency vet yesterday making our final decision he pointed out that "we can never go back" - no amount of anything would make her younger, would make her pain free, would solve her issues, would take us back to the past. We were where we were. This was reality. And sinking into that moment made the choice clear. It was time.

It still doesn't feel real. I don't know how to exist without her, without taking care of her, especially after her past year of intense health issues and surgeries. Not only am I struggling every other moment but I'm also acutely aware that everything in my daily life will now change.

I will have more time again and that alone is riddled with guilt and uncertainty.

Even with all of the inescapable pain, I know this:

It was all worth it.

Life is full of so many experiences. We live so many lives. Everything is so fleeting and impermanent. But the more we tap into that reality, the more present we can be, the more joy we can experience because we hold that truth.

What's keeping me going through the worst of it:

• ☀️ Focusing on all the joys of her life

• 👉 Understanding that her last moments don't define her life and were minimally uncomfortable

• 🐶 Looking at all the photos and videos of her I can, what a life she lived!! She was the happiest goomba!!

• 🌊 Knowing that grief will come in waves. As my husband said "this is a million bandaids to rip" - and he's not wrong. Every day there will be reminders, pieces of kibble we find somewhere new, things we do for the first time without her...

• 🍃 Allowing to let go. It was really hard today to clean up her stuff and bring our bed back upstairs that we had moved down to the living room for her. But now all of those reminders aren't as haunting. Our pain and grief aren't going anywhere, but at least now there are fewer triggers.

• 🌲 Living life is about honoring those we lose along the way. It's okay to experience joy again. Right now it feels like I won't but I won't let that stop me from taking care of myself, cooking nurturing meals, spending my time differently now that routines have shifted.

The only way forward is through.

🥔 Bella was the happiest (and grumpiest) potato baby. She loved naps and demanded we snuggle next to her at all times.

In her younger years she loved to explore nature on longer walks. As she got older those walks shortened and she loved to roll around on her back and show her big belly while kicking her legs in the air.

💭 Some of my favorite daily memories of her are the stretch she'd make when she'd see you coming toward her on the bed, the way she'd glare at you when she wasn't pleased with the amount of attention or treats she was getting, and how she'd rest her head on you, sigh real big, and lick her lips before falling asleep.

When I think of Bella I see all the moments woven together of us out in nature, the wind blowing her little ears at the beach, her big mouth smile looking back at me in a grassy field, her warming up under the sun on the patio.

Those are the memories that keep me going.

I love Bella with all of my heart. She'll always be a part of me.

Thank you for reading about my soul baby and if you've lost a pet, I hope something here can bring you comfort.

xoxo

Sarah

p.s. Please feel free to reply with a photo of your dog via email. I'd love to see them!