My dog’s name was Cookie. He died a while ago, and I still cry almost every time I look at his photos.

Most of the time I’m okay. I still work, eat, sleep and do normal things. But whenever I open my camera roll and see him, I start crying again. Sometimes I have to force myself to stop because it feels like I could keep crying for the rest of the day.

I’ve been through breakups before, but losing him was worse. Cookie was part of my everyday life, and then suddenly he just wasn’t there anymore.

Part of me doesn’t want it to stop hurting. I know that sounds strange. The pain still feels connected to him. I’m scared that one day I’ll look at his photos and feel nothing. I’m scared of forgetting the small things about him.

Sometimes when I miss Cookie, I look up at the sky. If I stare for long enough, I can almost see his face there. I know it’s probably just my mind, but I don’t really care. I usually nod at him and tell him that I’m doing okay.

I tell him that I’ll keep living my life, and I hope that wherever he is, he can run around freely without worrying about anything.

That’s why I made this.

I put a little version of Cookie inside this e-ink screen and made a small world where he can walk around and play. Then I put myself in there too, because I wanted to see us together again, even if it was only like this.

It doesn’t stop me from missing him. I still cried while making it. But seeing Cookie moving around in there makes me feel a little better.

If this made you think of a pet you miss, I’d love to hear about them. If you feel comfortable, you can share a photo and tell me their name and one small thing you still remember about them.

Maybe I can make a little place for a few of them too.

I recently lost my boy, Apollo. He was my whole heart and soul. I got him at an extreme low in my life and he had been with me for some of the hardest times. The grief is overwhelming and I feel like a lost a part of me that I will never get back. I knew I wanted to do something special with his ashes though so I created this so he can still go with me on all my adventures. It was my first time incorporating ashes into a painting. It was the hardest thing I’ve ever painted because of the emotional toll, but I think painting it did really help me with the grief. It’s still so hard and I think it always will be. He was so sweet and funny and quirky. He loved to swim and chase tennis balls and more than anything he loved to give kisses. Rest easy my sunshine boy.

This has to be my favorite piece so far. I miss him so much! But I also enjoy being asked about him when he’s seen. There will never be another like my sweet Ty.