It's the end, but the moment has been prepared for

In February of last year, we thought that Lola, the Englebright family dog, might be on the way out. She ended up being OK, but during a day of worry and panic, I wrote this at the time about how much I love her:

Sadly, this morning I got a call from my mum to tell me that Lola had passed away. I last saw her almost exactly a month ago and she seemed then like she was ready to go, but I still feel like I've had a hole punched in my chest. It doesn't feel right, and I dread how I'll feel the first time I go back to my parents and she's not there.

But: as I walked back home from the office with tears running down my face, I went down a side-street where I could see a boxer leaning out of a first-floor window, their torso so far extended they seemed like they might fall out at any moment, just swinging their head back and forth watching people go by. It made me smile, just a little bit, and that's the spirit of Lola right there. Every time you see a dog who's biting their lead or eating things they shouldn't or rolling around in the mud, Lola lives on.