06/24/2026
💔It is a little quiet around here because we have had to say goodbye to our daughter, Patience’s beloved dog, Keegan.
He joined our family when she was just 15 years old and was blessed with 14 years of many memories made. For everyone that follows our page… you know the love of a dog… and you know how heartbreaking this is. Please help me shower Patience and her husband with love as they walk this road of grief.
I leave you with a writing I wrote about Keegan… I think many of you can relate.
❤️Christin Benoit
Old dogs were once puppies… all you have to do is close your eyes and remember.
Those foggy old eyes, grey muzzle, slow gait once upon a time use to chase you around with mischief rooted deep in their reflection. Ankle grabbing, intense stares, demanding to orchestrate a chaos of their own… now slowly follow along in a lifetime of learning along side you. But not your lifetime… no! For that would be the ultimate gift… years unfolding together in every season of your life. A good dog unfortunately only patters their feet along our path for a certain season of our lives. It may be your first experience at soft fur, rumbly woofs, being pushed down as feet leap up, giggles bubble out as little licks tickle the face. Or maybe a season of teenage turmoil trying to mitigate growing up. Needing comfort at one point and independence the next. Secrets deeply tucked amongst tears and fur. Adventures taken, pushing to find independence… but so grateful for steady routines that keep you grounded. As teenage angst blossoms into young adulthood. First love, kiss on the head… I’ll be back soon.. he may be the one… another secret buried among the tapestry of walking this journey together. Then soon…wedding music, new person to love… and bite. The story unfolds in some of the most important years of your life. You both grow up and change and mature and develop into better souls for traveling this world together.
Children come along and the new generation fall in love with a gentle older version. Slow patient gate, funny hats, bubbles, giggles, funny howling sessions, majestic patience that once was not there, now watches on as your best friend guides an extension of you…. And leaves behind a deep love for other living souls that is born in the soul.
Daily life becomes busy with dirty diapers, pitter pattering feet, squeals of delight… the cycle repeats itself to the days of crazy puppy days of chaos only now your life is wrapped up in human puppies… but in the back of your mind you remember this crazy season and know it will settle down… someday.
Days come too fast…. For you see a dog is only walking this life journey with us for a season of our lives. I believe God hand picks the season they will walk with us and leave theirselves intertwined in the memories. The story of each memory so beautifully written with their steady presence weaved like a tapestry of many colors. Those memories are the precious gift they leave behind for you because you see… a dog only gets to walk a season with us.
Soon greying muzzle, painful gait, foggy eyes looking beyond you to a time when they remember and so do you of days experienced with a free body. So you gently reach for that furry paw… kiss that big grizzly head one last time, tell them what a good dog they have been and let them go to a realm that their old bodies will no longer hold them back. You will be reminded so many times of memories made together, such a gift an old dog leaves behind, Little winks of laughter, joy, buried deep in tears. For you see old dogs were once puppies and a life time of a dog
is only a season for us, but to them, we are their whole life. Every phase of your relationship—from mischievous puppyhood to the golden years—teaches a specific lesson and leaves an imprint on your heart forever.
In loving memory of Keegan Miller
March 2012-June 2026
"It came to me that every time I lose a dog, they take a piece of my heart with them, and every new dog who comes into my life gifts me with a piece of their heart. If I live long enough, all the components of my heart will be dog and I will become as generous and loving as they are." ~Diane Keaton
