Dedicated to Bella the Bullmastiff who, despite are grand size, made friends with a frog.
(Back in July 2017, an Instagram friend reached out to me in anguish. She told me that she had to put her beloved Bullmastiff to sleep. I felt her bottomless pain and my heart ached. I wanted to create something in honor of Bella and as I started to put this piece together, I thought about all the dogs and animals that we love so deeply and lose way to soon, so it became a tribute to all the fur babies that we’ve all had to say goodbye to in life.)
📺✨ See my Best Friend video here.
A note from the artist: Many people have asked if they could purchase any gifts for loved ones who have lost a furry best friend, as well as to help comfort their own grief, so I have put together a Collection based on my viral Best Friend video (a portion of profits from my shop goes directly to animal rescue and advocacy groups). xo-Amy
View on my Red and Howling Shop
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12-3-2016 I lost a piece of my heart. My best friend, my companion, my roadtrip buddy, my heart…Creepy was with me through marriage, divorce, addiction, sobriety, coming out, the best and worst moments in my life…We traveled the entire east coast…I still have trouble learning to be me without him…Thank you for this beautiful tribute, it sums up my life perfectly!!!
I too just lost a family member on Valentine’s Day 2018 we took him in because we thought he had allergies or a cold turned out he had cancer in his lungs and there was nothing we could do so we ended up saying our goodbyes he put his head in my arms and I told him he was the best dog and that he was loved we still cry there’s not a day that we don’t remember him he will be be forever in our 💓
IM TOUCHED GREATLY BY THIS,IT BROUGHT JOY AN TEARS TO MY FACE AS I READ THIS.I AM LEAVING THIS AS A MEMORIAL TO MY NEAPOLITAN MASTIFF MS.B,SHE LIVED 14WONDERFUL YEARS ,AN I THANK GOD EVERY DAY FOR HAVING HER THAT LONG.SADLY SHE DIED THIS PAST MAY AN A HOUR DOENT GO BY THAT I DONT MISS HER…in life we all have those special for legged friends an nothing can truly change in our hearts how deeply we love an miss them,an the comfort an love that comes from your one true special friend.
I lost my Yorkie Hayley on 6-22-17, and it still kills me. She was 16 and she was my everything. She knew when I was sad, mad, and sick. She was the best. Now I have maxx who’s a crazy yorkie with a big heart. Call me crazy but I think Hayley sent him to me, so he could help me. I miss you Hayley so much. Maxx thank you, I’m so happy you are in my life. 6-22-17
i cant stop crying. so so true. every beautiful word. i lost my girl 11 mos ago but feels like yesterday. ma was a beatutiful sassy choc lab. we got her as a pup, eyes still closed. she grew up with our family. thru first days of school. graduations and a marriage. no matter what her and i had a pact. nobody leaves…..but, one day she got tired. your right. we cant protect them from time. god i wish we could. the love is so unconditional. she gave us 17 womderful years and beautiful memories. i know one day i’ll have my wet nose kisses again!!
I just lost my booger after 12 1/2 yrs. I knew him since he was born. And I miss him so much. And will be dealing with it again with his sister plucky. And my heart hurts. But this was beautiful.
This is absolutely beautiful, it made me cry :'( I lost my beautiful baby girl Buttons to cancer on the 18th July 2018, she was 17 years and 1 month, Her colour was black and white ,she was a cross bread and was similar to a sheep dog, but smaller . It was so very hard to let her go but she was so very sick, there was nothing else to do for her anymore, as I did everything I could for her, As she was suffering I made courage and then I decided that it was time to let her go It was the hardest decision for me. I tooked her to the vet to see if there was any hope but unfortunately it was time for goodbye, I looked at her with tears and she looked at me with dose eyes than I whispered in her ears to calm her down and said “It’s time to go now my little baby girl,you will be no more in pain now my love, you will be forever in my heart mummy loves you”. I’m missing her so much I can’t get over it every day it pass it gets harder for me..I miss her greeting me as I walk through the door, she was far more than a pet she was a family member, a friend, my daughter. It will take time to heal but I will never forget all these beautiful years we spent together as she was my shadow she was such a great companion, constant, loyal and true.every day it gets more harder without her, my heart will always wear a paw print left by her. she was my first dog and it was worth it to have her in my life.
J C I’d only just finished wiping my eyes from the poem when I read your story and started crying all over again…
Your story touched me, as my Lab, Wes, also died of cancer and his death ripped me apart, as we’d only just lost his buddies , Ben the Staffy and Mr Miyagi the Cat the year before.
When we took Wes, who had gone blind, but didn’t seem to care, that old boy just carried on as normal, bless him, too the vet, I truly believe that he thought we were going to making him better, as in times before.
It broke my heart that we couldn’t and we sat with him, explaining how we couldn’t help him and how sorry we were.
He rested his head on my shoulder , which meant he understood.
JC, I am so so sorry for your loss, they really do leave their paw prints embedded in your heart and with time, things will get a little easier for you hun. One day, you’ll be ready for another fur baby, but don’t worry, having another fur baby doesn’t mean you don’t still love your Buttons…I have 2 more fur babies after mine past and I love them dearly, we fur people have so much love to give, to our furry friends…I’ll always remember and love, Ben, Wes, and Mr Miyagi, I have extra for my new fur babies …
Lots and lots of love, Ronnie. xxxxx
thank you so much Ronnie for your message I really appreciate it.even I lost her buddies a year before, a guinea pig her name was Muffin and a netherland dwarf rabbit his name was Bugs . It’s very hard as they leave memories no one can steal and a heartache no one can heal, but than you have to deal with it in a way. I made everything possible for her and she lived a happy life with me as I always treated her as my baby. I’m sorry for the loss Web,Ben and Mr Miyagi. thanks again
Lots of love to you , J.C xxx
I knew what reading this would do to me, but I read it anyway. It’s been nearly a year since my beagle Lexi crossed the Rainbow Bridge, but there are days that I still cry buckets… Lexi wasn’t my first dog, but she was the first one I’d ever had right from puppy. And then of course, missing her leads me to missing the other cats and dogs I’ve had, so more tears. But the pain of loving the, and then having to say goodbye is worth it, so I keep doing it, because life is too empty without my furry companions!
I love this.. I let my baby girl Lilly go 6 months ago August 8th.. I had no clue how hard this would be.. I miss her every day and wish I could have her back to hold one more time.. but would not want her to have to come back she was such a sick little one.. She was ready to go I know so I have to hold her close in my memories..
Looking for a recipe , and stumbled upon this post.
Our Mojo just celebrated his one year on May 3, 2018.
I can relate to this tribute very deeply. Mojo changed our lives for the better also. Total devestation hit all of
our family . In his own way , he told us he needed to cross the rainbow bridge. I’ve never seen anyone cry so much as when the father decided to send him there.
Hope he’s happy now, and playing all the time. We still miss him every day.
Lost my Miner last week. Big cuddly golden. This made me cry. It’s lovely. Thank you. And I see you have a grief section on your page… heading there next.
Just lost my beloved hug in a fur coat, Radley, a black standard poodle lab cross.
She was my world and I wasn’t ready to loose her as she wasn’t ill or old, just 9 and a half,
My bed is too big now and the house too quiet.
Does it ever get easier?
My heart is broken.
I am so sorry Penny. I just choke up when I hear that someone has lost their best friend. Radley was too young to leave this earth. Life is often not fair. It will get easier, just give yourself a lot of time to heal and take it day by day. I don’t know if you know about my new community, but a lot of people have shared their stories about losing their fur baby. It might be a place of some comfort for you. Hang in there. Sending you much love. Here is a link to the grief section: https://redandhowling.com/community/pet-loss-discussion/
Over the years we’ve had several dogs, each one was special and unique with their own personality. I wouldn’t trade one minute for the love and joy they brought us. There were times that we would say no more, the loss so hard to bear, but a little fur baby would always find a way in to our hearts. After our last loss it took 2 years before we would once again add a new member to our family. Last year we rescued Willie a minpin, or should I say he rescued us? He shows us such unconditional love and brings us joy and laughter with his antics.
I can never get through this without bawling my eyes out. So beautifully done (and while I write this, my Phinneas has come up to comfort me)
Absolutely Beautiful. I miss my Bubba’s sweet smell and the only thing I was unable to protect him from was time. Thank you.
May 6,2018 I lost my Golden Retriever to cancer. The pain of missing her is unbelievable. Thank you for you expression of love through your art. And words. It really touchEd my heart. Carol , Zalutko
Berührend! Mein Herz weint. Habe dies mit meinen Cockern schon mehrmals durchlebt. Danke für dieses wundervolle Cartoon.
This is so true. We lost our sweet Daisy Mae in 2012. We rescued our Smokey in 2013. In 2015 we lost our precious Coco to diabetes and 2 months later Smokey’s best friend Marble the cat. In October of 2015 we rescued Beau. We know the 3 girls would be so happy to know we brought 2 loving boys into our home.
This is so true. We lost our Staffordshire Bull Terrier Bella ❤️️ very unexpectedly to kidney failure. She wasn’t even 2 yrs old, we will never understand why it happened or ever get over it. Our heart aches for her every day and we miss her so much ❤️️
I also lost my 10 1/2 yr old bichon/dashund 11/17. He had kidney disease also, how awful. I miss him every day n hold his ashes n talk to him. One month later, I didn’t think I was ready again. An adorable rat terrier was given to me, all scruffy n scared 8 1/2#. She is a doll n so good. God knew I needed to love again
This is absolutely beautiful, my fur baby is my world and the thought of not having around doing her daft things does not bode well. I love my lil Lola so much
This is beautiful. I lost my 16 1/2 year old Havanese a month ago. He was my heart dog and had brought me more joy than I can express in the 16 years, 2 months I had him. I miss him every day!
I lost my beloved Nacho over a year and a half ago, the day after Thanksgiving to be exact….he was such a part of my world that I miss him as much if not more now than when he left me! Not a day goes by that I don’t think of my baby boy…..😢🐕
So incredibly beautiful. I lost my Redbone coon hound that someone moved away and left behind. I couldn’t resist those velvet ears. I will always love Rusti. God bless all who rescue not shop.
Just lost my rescued Redbone. AAaaah yes, those ears. I still sob at the thought of her.
I second Gill Brooks request. I have this bookmarked.
Hello Alyson, I do offer the video as a print :): https://shop.redandhowling.com/collections/prints/products/you-will-always-be-my-best-friend-archival-giclee-print
I just ordered it…very painless,very well worth it. I’m looking at two of my biggest lugs, lying next to me on my bed. The other two are lying with my daughter in her bed. It makes for a furry home!! They are all adopted from our local animal shelter and much loved. Gracie has her head on my chest as I write. A little warm but so what? I wonder if you ever donate any of your wonderful drawings to be used as gifts for fundraising or donations? Our local shelter does a calendar each year as a gift with a donation….hint,hint! Thank you for the gifts of your love and talent.
Katherine Duhe
This such a beautiful piece. It popped up just after I put my beautiful Matzi to sleep in June 2017. Do you sell the whole thing I would love to put it on the wall in my house. ❤️
I lost my 2 beloved Guinea Pigs in Dec. Kalinda Alicia was 7 and a half and she died Dec 2. Less than 3 weeks later little brother Munchkin Sean Collier had to be euthanized Dec 22. He was not even 5 years old. I too am still crying-I am sleeping with the boxes of their ashes. Almost 3 weeks ago I adopted a 5 month old little girl named Annick Nannerel. I didn’t think I wanted to adopt another animal but I missed having a furry friend in the house. I am trying to bond with her-I don’t think she came from a great situation and she is scared to death of me. Looove your cartoons.
Beautiful…love the art and the words. It expresses how I am feeling right now. We had to put our girl Jasmine to sleep on Valentine’s day. We knew her days were numbered when she was diagnosed with cancer but she took a sudden and scary turn for the worse. I thought i had a few more months with her. Shes my “heart” dog so it makes for soul crushing grief. I keep feeling waves of intense sadness and am crying several times a day. Thank you for this wonderful art and expression. It has brought me some comfort and validation.
Aww so beautiful. We’ve just said goodbye 4 weeks ago to our beautiful 12 year old Shetland Sheepdog Monty. I’ve cried buckets, and missing him so much. Your words have echoed mine. I wish I could cuddle and kiss him again, I wish he was there to great us when we come home. I want to smell the sweetness of his fur. I miss everything about him. Thank you for this love tribute you sum up what I and many feel at losing these beautiful family members.
I know this was written for another fur baby but it rings so true for when it’s time to say goodbye to them.
Animasl give their hearts and love totally unconditionally, they don’t care if you gain a couple of Lbs or you’ve not fixed your hair and face, they love you anyways.
When my Wes(RIP) ate my £70 Boots, I was so angry, they were brand New.
Just one look at his face, that said, ‘I sorry, I thought they were old’ I melted.
All animals and Nature all the most wonderful things in the world. Love and peace to you and yours.xxxxx😘😘😘
Beautiful, perfect, and angelic way to say goodbye to darling GRIFFY, our internet puppy, we live in Nottingham and he lived in Venetian pittsburgh. Even though we never met him to cuddle but he was still our best friend, and God help his mum and dad xxx
I just lost my baby girl, Alex. She was a beautiful Black and Tan Doberman Pincher. Our third and the most special girl I ever met. She loved (almost) everyone she met; she could sniff out trouble a mile away and she would look it in the eyes and start with a deep grumble and thank goodness she never had to go further.
She was so obedient, loving, a “leaner”, she would race you for bed space and still manage to wiggle in another inch closer. I know she will be waiting for me ( her daddy and sister) to continue our lives near the rainbow bridge. I miss you girl as well as Blue and Busby.
I am so sorry to learn of Alex’s passing. I, as well, lost my Murry last July. He was a Toy Manchester Terrier. They greatly resemble small Dobermans. I know you will keep Alex forever in your heart.
I’ve been there, so sweet and touching, I love all your creations!
So beautiful and very touching! Sitting here in tears.
Sophie, Zoey, Rose and Lucy. I had four Shelties, all close in age. All are in four legged heaven now. Lost them all in 18 months. The first one I got was in a cellar of a dingy pet store. They had stacks of crates on top of each other-awful. She was jammed in the back and already 8 months old. The store said she was too timid to get sold and would I not want a more social animal. As I looked at her with those eyes gazing at me back, I said no, she is the one, I will take her. She shivered and was shy from everyone and everything for over a year. Then slowly she began to realize its ok to enjoy life and the humans close to her My Sophie lived 14 years and was my soul mate. She was the alpha to our other Shelties and the last to leave me. Her kisses were warm and loving. I learned that pet stores for the most part sell puppy mill dogs. I never went in one again. You could say I saved Sophie from that place, but in fact she saved me. Always in my heart. Thank you for your wonderful, wonderful art.
“Dogs … are constant reminders that life reveals the best of itself when we live fully in the moment and extend our unconditional love. And it is very true, that the most tender, uncomplicated, most generous part of our being blossoms, without any effort, when it comes to the love of a dog.” —Maira Kalman
I thank you Eugenia for being in that cellar, in that very store, at the time you were. She was waiting for you for 8 months. I am happy that you knew she was “the one”. RIP Sophie.
God bless you for knowing she was the one….. what a gift you were to each other… RIP Sophie and ♥ to you Eugenia.
It has been 3 months since my pug, Samson passed and it still hurts. When will I be okay again?
I don’t know if you will ever “be okay”, as a large part of your life is gone. I still mourn for a pet hit by a car in 1969! (Not a typo)
You will learn to adapt to life without Samson, eventually. Life will be different, that’s all. Right now the memories of his passing are still fresh and painful. As time goes on, memories of his character, love, a little goofiness, will become thoughts which outweigh the painful memories. You will think of Samson in a new way. The play time, things that made you laugh, cuddle time – let those good memories flow.
If you have good health insurance, ask your primary care doctor for a referral to a grief counselor. The insurance company doesn’t need to know your grief is for Samson. Ask your vet for a list of counselors. Most
communities have at least one. Their finally realizing pets are truly family members, and grieving the loss is horrible. Often we are closer to our pets than the people in our lives. So true!
I cry every time I see this. It’s such a perfect example of my life with Pache. The thought of losing my beautiful fur baby one day is just too awful to contemplate.
Got me big time. Especially “one day you let me know it was time to go.” Ohhhhh the heartache and tears. Can’t read this without breaking down.
Your tribute to Bella and beloved animals everywhere was amazing. Having a bull mastiff myself, it made me want to be sure to savor every kiss and hug I have. Thank you for the joy and laughter you bring all of us with your humorous insight into the reality of our lives with the ones we love.
Beautiful, Amy. May be having a little sob here.
One never knows the pain of losing a beloved pet, We just put our 2nd one down within a year, sisters-litter-mates, inseparable.
Your words cut deeply and I am sitting here shedding more tears and feel the lonesomeness in my heart. and life.
I wish my husband could understand my feelings, but his feelings are hurting, too and cannot bring himself to share again with another fur baby., his babies can not be replaced. No, I know, but give another one the chance to love too.
LOVED I.!!! Thank you
I so know that pain of loss. Beautiful words. Thank you.
What a beautiful tribute to Bella and to all our pups who have gone beyond Rainbow Bridge, but whose spirit is with us for all time
I know her pain. What a beautiful tribute!!
Amy
This is so beautiful and so true. The smell the need to see or feel them. On two of my fur babies i clipped some hair and lanamated it and it is still perfect many years later. You know i love what you do and the joy you bring. Think of you often. Ann Essy. Xoxo 🙏🏻❤️
Love this XOXO
Faithful friends never leave us, they just run on ahead. . . .
I think for most of us, when we read about another’s loss there is inescapable pain.
Among the cruelest truths of biology is this: A dog’s life is considerably shorter than a human’s life. The math is unforgiving; if you love a dog, you will lose a dog, and you will suffer the pain and biting lessons that death brings — probably several times over. (Bob Sullivan) – What is the answer, not to love?
It’s to continue the love to another animal who has never known love. Rescue a new friend one that needs the love you’ve known. pass this love on!!!
Wow Jamie – my sentiments exactly . I didn’t think another cat was in our future when we had to let ours go last year. We were devastated but then Bentley showed up at our door . Sometimes we are lucky enough to be chosen . Love them with what little time we’re given . Each animal we live with is a blessing .
I am in this process with my beloved rescue Maltese, Daisy. She is 17 and is failing. We are very near the end and each day is a gift. Also a gift is this sweet artwork of yours. Thank you!
Absolutely wonderful! I lost my 14 1/2 year old, he died in my arms. Only dog that I had from a puppy and wasn’t used. This tribute to Bella touched me deeply
Absolutely perfect tribute! ! Thank you x
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