Ciuppi was my heart dog. He wasn’t just a pet; he was family, my shadow, and my comfort. When he passed, I thought I understood grief, but I quickly realized how hard it was to explain that kind of loss to the little hearts in my life, my nieces, nephews and cousins.

They adored Ciuppi too, and I didn’t know how to tell them he was gone. So I told them something I deeply believed: love doesn’t end, it only changes. I told them that Ciuppi is everywhere, in the warmth of the sun, in the heart shapes they find in leaves or clouds, and in the tiny, unexpected moments that make them smile.

From that day on, whenever they see a rainbow, a heart-shaped leaf, or a beam of sunlight through a window, they smile and say, “Look, Ella, that’s Ciuppi!” It became our way of staying connected, a shared language of love, memory, and comfort.

Those moments healed their little hearts and mine too. Ciuppi: The Soul Dog became my way of sharing that truth with the world: love is never lost, it just finds new ways to shine.