On April 10th, we lost our handsome, sweet, silly 6 year old goldendoodle Bauer to a heart tumor. It broke us. He had our whole hearts.

But our story with Bauer began long before we knew it would one day end.

Before Bauer, we had our first dog Mojo. She was with us for 12 years, growing up right alongside us. When she passed, it felt like losing a piece of home.

Every Christmas, our family would wear matching Christmas shirts. But they didn’t make them for dogs back then. My mom refused to leave Mojo out, so she bought a little kid’s shirt, took it apart, hand-sewing it back together to fit Mojo. She wore it like she knew she belonged, cozy, happy, completely part of our family. That Christmas photo still means everything. The shirt didn’t create the bond, it just made what was already there visible.

When Mojo passed, our hearts broke. We didn’t think there would ever be another dog who could fill that space.

And then Bauer came along. We were supposed to take him in temporarily, while his owner was in the hospital. But the moment he walked through our door, we realized it wasn’t temporary at all. When his owner later moved overseas, Bauer stayed and became part of our family.

That Christmas, my mom pulled out Mojo’s old handmade shirt. She slipped it over Bauer’s head… and it fit. Perfectly. He wore it with the same gentle, happy energy Mojo had. It felt like she was there too, celebrating with us, reminding us that love never really leaves, it just changes form.

Losing Bauer brought that ache back. It still hurts. It probably always will.

We’ll miss and love you forever Bauer, may Mojo meet you at the rainbow bridge 🌈