The day you bring home a dog, the clock starts. You know that you will bury that dog. And the more you love that dog, the worse their death is going to hurt. You know it, yet you bring home the dog. Because having the dog and loving the dog are worth every second of pain when you lose them.

Stephanie Weaver invites us in to her family’s journey with losing Buddy Girl and new beginnings with puppy Daisy May in her book Golden Angels. More than a tribute to a beloved Golden retriever, Weaver’s chronicle is a study of relationships–the author’s with her husband, with her animals, with her neighbors, and most importantly, with herself. Anyone who has loved anyone will find joy, empathy, and hope in her account of her life with Buddy Girl and Daisy May. In honor of Buddy Girl, Daisy May has been participating in The Golden Retriever Lifetime Study through The Morris Animal Foundation, seeking a cure for canine cancer.