Goodbye to a Friend

Our family got a little smaller on Tuesday. One of my best and oldest friends, my beloved old dog had to be put to sleep. She was 12 years old, and although she'd been slowing down quite a bit lately, she became ill fairly suddenly. The vet said it was cancer, and even if we had the money to treat her, (we didn't,) that it was unlikely she'd recover.
I knew our days with her were getting shorter. She was old, after all. I guess I wasn't quite ready, though.
When all the dogs in the neighborhood start their daily chorus as the mail carrier comes by, our yard is strangely quiet.
The fresh mound of dirt on the side of the house greets me every time I come home, and so does the empty spot on the back porch where she used to lay.
I'll miss her.