It's National Golden Retriever day

It's National Golden Retriever Day! Who knew that was such a thing? When I lost my first golden, Mika, 11 years ago after a long fight with cancer, I promised myself I would never love a dog the way I loved her. It took me almost a year before I could let another dog walk into my life and my heart again. 

At first I was guarded. Steve, my husband, wasn't working at the time, so he spent a lot more time with Izzy than I did. I told myself that was ok and how I preferred it, but deep down, I was jealous of him and their relationship. 

As the years passed, Izzy and I have become inseparable. She's my velcro girl. If I go from one room to the next and back again, so does she. She's by my feet when I cook, use the bathroom and always the first to greet me when I come home. 

She's 10 now and I know our days together are numbered. She's healthy, but that can change in the blink of an eye. Every night I thank the universe for giving us one more day together. Because no matter how many days we have, it will never be enough.

This is why I pick up a camera and photograph my dogs so much. She's not just a dog. She's my heart dog 😍❤️