10/31/2026
Without further ado, meet Henry βHankβ Martinson. π€ The fluffiest, snuggliest little love bug that ever lived.
Hanky baby came into our lives in a season of more heartbreak than weβve ever known, yet from the moment he stepped through our door, there was something so beautifully familiar about him. He moved through the house like he already knew it, finding Charlieβs favorite spots on the floor and falling asleep on my momβs feet exactly the way Charlie used to. On his first night, he even curled up exactly where Charlie passed away, and I still canβt quite put into words what it felt like to see him there. Even the way he loved us felt immediate, as though heβd known us all along and was simply finding his way home.
That familiarity felt like a lifeline, especially because, after losing Charlie, I swore I would never have another dog. He was my soul dog and one of the greatest loves of my life, and losing him so suddenly, when he was still just a baby himself, split my life into a before and an after. I grieve not only him, but who I was when he was here and every version of the future he was supposed to be in. He loved his life with us so much, and it breaks my heart to think about how much more life he shouldβve had. Charlie was my one and forever, and I couldnβt imagine putting my heart through that kind of heartbreak again. But even after he was gone, the enormous love I had for him hadnβt gone anywhere. What disappeared were the little, everyday ways I got to give him that love, leaving an emptiness I still donβt know how to describe.
Call me woo-woo, but I believe with my whole heart that Charlie had something to do with bringing Hank to us. Maybe they crossed paths somewhere between Charlie leaving this life and Henry beginning his. Maybe a little piece of our boy lives on through him. I donβt know. I just canβt shake the feeling that Charlie knew how deeply losing him would break us and somehow helped this gentle little soul find his way to us, as though he were still finding ways to take care of the people he loved.
continued in the comments π€