She was there from the very beginning.

Introducing our sweet girl, Avery

Before there was Paws & Pinecones, before there was Murphy, before there was an engagement, wedding, first home, before there was any of this, there was our sweet girl Avery.

When I met Blaine, Avery came with him. Blaine had rescued her a year before, somewhere around age four or five. She came from a puppy mill, and by the time she found him, her face was already white. The life she had before him is one we'll never fully know. What we do know is this: she was timid, scared. Quiet. The kind of dog who moved through a room like she wasn't sure she was allowed to be in it.

It took time. But slowly, steadily, she came around. And the dog she has become is one of the sweetest things I have ever known.

Avery doesn't play the way most dogs do. She never has, really. She is not a fetch dog, not a tug-of-war dog. Avery is a presence dog. A lean-against-you-on-the-couch dog. A find-the-sunniest-patch-on-the-floor dog. She is our care dog, in every sense of the word. The kind of dog who knows exactly when you need something soft and warm nearby, and simply shows up.

She is about eleven years old now. She loves to bask in the sun. She loves her treats more than almost anything. She will give you her paw unprompted and keep giving it until you pet her, which, honestly, we are more than happy to do. She has never met a lap she didn't want to be near.

A few weeks ago, we got news we weren't ready for. Avery was diagnosed with a very aggressive form of oral cancer. We know we don't have much time left with her.

So we are doing what she has always done for us. We are simply showing up. Extra treats. Extra sunshine on the porch. Extra time on the couch, her warm weight pressed against us, her paw resting in our hand. We are making the absolute best of every day we have.

She has been there for our entire relationship. For every ordinary Tuesday, every big moment, every quiet evening. She was at our wedding and she is woven into the fabric of us.

We wanted you to know her. She deserves to be known.
This one is for you, sweet Avery girl. Thank you for choosing us right back.

With love, Mom + Dad and your little 'brother' Murphy 🐾