A sad day for me. Today was Voodoo's 1st birthday since he passed away.
Back in August of last year, I lost my beloved, Voodoo. I cried every day for almost two months. Then, I didn't cry as much, but every 4th of the month, I cried. Today, when my husband came home, I was "proud" of the fact I only burst into tears four times. Of course, I started to cry as I told him...LOL!
One of our closest friends and her daughters, our nieces, gave us a wonderful Chanukkah/Christmas gift, it was a wind chime in his memory. The coda reads "Listen to the wind and know I am near. In Memory of Voodoo." The chimes have an entire poem on them that I can't read or write without bursting into tears.
As sad as I am, I wanted to share this because it also makes me smile through my tears when I hear the chimes.
I miss my baby.
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What a thoughtful gift!
Nothing hurts like when one of our beloved companions heads for the Rainbow Bridge. 💔
Took me 6 yrs to resolve my profound grief when my 1st dog, a Dobe who was with me 18-1/2 years, made the energetic shift.
Please take good care of yourself. Grieving is hard work, physically as well as emotionally & psychologically.
I am so sorry, and I have been there, too, and know it doesn't take much to bring up those feelings. And I'm sitting here with my dog, Jack, who is also 15. He's been with me since he was 5 months old, he was a "pet shop rescue," had a "health problem" (hernia) that was cured by one day at the vet - and it never slowed him down. And I also can't imagine life without him. 
It is still difficult for me; for my husband, the most difficult part is having to see me break down. We had Voodoo since he was two months old, so that was about the entirety of his life.
I hope Jack stays in good health and you two have more years together.
For over a year after we got him, it was just me, my husband, Voodoo, and Tony, our cat, who passed a few years ago. When we took him to New Orleans, we used to push in around in a little carriage, people always stopped us to look at him.
We have three other chihuahuas, sisters, Marigny and Laveau (both almost 13), and Zatanna, who is 10. Like Voodoo, they are all spoiled rotten. But that is the only way to do it. 
Such a sweetie.
absence just goes on and on
firsts are always hard. sometimes i think when sadness runs so deep it speaks to the fact that our beloved was loved so very much. our little furbabies/friends are such an integral part of our lives and our hearts. they certainly are treasures of our lives.
your post reminded me of this lyric from "nature boy":
"the greatest thing you'll ever learn
is just to love and be loved in return"
and for all the love you had for that little one, you can take comfort in knowing that he loved you right back.
It is difficult. For a long time, I had to cover photos of him because I couldn't look at them without crying and it's hard to get through the day when you are crying non-stop. I am glad we had him for as long as we did. I just wish it had been longer.