The internet has been left a sobbing, inconsolable mess after a woman honored the memory of her beloved pet by writing him a heart-wrenching obituary.
As WIS-TV reported, Sallie Gregory Hammett wanted to memorialize her late golden retriever, Charlie, in the best way possible, so she decided to pen him a beautiful, albeit devastating obituary that perfectly sums up all the wonderful years the pair spent together.
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Sallie first met Charlie back in 2013 when he was just a puppy, and was able to spend seven loved-up years watching him grow into a beautiful dog.
According to a copy of the obituary, which Sallie shared on her Twitter page , Charlie loved “walking, stick collecting, swimming, swimming, smiling, and snoozing.”
His dislike list was significantly shorter (“stairs, he hated stairs”), proving just how happy-go-lucky this wonderful pup truly was.
But above all else, Charlie loved his mom, Sallie.
“He was always there to greet her with some kisses and a firm grip on her arm,” she wrote in the the obituary. “He was her constant companion. There through heartache, moves, grief, and joy.”
“He was good at a lot of things, but he was best at unconditional love.”
Tragically, on September 13th, Charlie passed away after a hard-fought, five month-long battle with lymphoma.
In the obit, Sallie revealed that this sweet boy spent his final days at his favorite place in the entire world: the beach.
“He relaxed in the Charlie-sized holes he dug himself, and dove straight into the oncoming waves,” she wrote. “His last days were so happy and will be cherished forever.”
He died “peacefully in the arms of his mom,” the obit says, adding that he “crossed the rainbow bridge” where he was greeted by his late sisters, Gracie and Scout.
“We will think of him every time we open the peanut butter,” Sallie continued. “We will miss him every time we see a sock on the floor or pass a stick on a walk.”
“We will carry him with us everywhere.”
Since it was posted on September 22, Sallie’s tweet of Charlie’s obituary has gone viral, amassing over 113,000 likes and near 12,000 retweets.
“I just wanted something to be sort of cathartic and capture all the emotions I was feeling and then also, just to remember all the little things about him, like his love of sticks and socks and peanut butter,” Sallied told WIS-TV of her decision to write about her late dog.
Sallie’s touching words have left many users not only wiping away tears, but also holding their own four-legged friends even tigher.
But perhaps most of all, people related to Sallie’s grief and shared stories of their own pet losses.
“My husband found our Whip as a pup, in a box,” this person shared. “I know he was part of the welcoming committee as your Charlie stepped off the Rainbow Bridge.”
Another user shared a photo of their brother’s late dog Winston and wrote, “I loved him like he was mine. I hope Charlie and Winston are in that great doggy park in the sky having good boy treats.”
Although still understandably mourning the loss of her beloved Charlie, Sallie said she’s happy to be able to share the story of his life with so many people.
As she explained,
“Charlie is definitely immortalized now and has made his mark on so many people, just like he did on me and [my husband] David.”
h/t: WIS-TV
