"When you lose your dog, there's a hole in your heart as big as the sun. Your head aches all the time and you are so empty inside because you are half the girl you used to be."
Every time I read security questions with the option to provide the name of your first dog, my brain gets stuck in an indecisive loop. Recalling the name of your first dog should be easy especially for a dog lover. My history in establishing a first dog is much more complicated than it should be. As a child, I found pictures of myself as a toddler playing with a beagle mix puppy. Based on the photos, this puppy and I clearly shared the same home where I placed him in my stroller, carried him tucked under one of my arms, hid in an oversized coat for him to find me, and generally did all the things that a child who wants a dog and doesn’t have one longs to do with said dog. The thing is though, I don’t remember having or playing with the puppy. That puppy didn’t stay in our family long enough for him to become part of the memories that stay with you forever. Our family wasn’t and still isn’t one for delving into painful pasts and so it’s never been clear at what…