It has been two years since his beloved dog, Everything, passed away, and for Chris Sontag-Ratti, time hasn’t necessarily healed his wounds.

The California man still misses his dog but instead of mourning, he decided to celebrate her life.

“On Jan. 23 I’ll mark 2 years without my best friend,” Sontag-Ratti. “I purchased 100 tennis balls last week. I plan on sending them to anyone who wants one. I hope that all the people who get a ball from me will use it to spend some quality time with their best friend.”

From the outpouring of support he received, he is going to need to purchase more tennis balls.

The post was shared more than 8,000 times in a day (in two days) and his inbox is full from people all over the world, including Japan and Australia. He is hoping people will be able to spend time with their dog doing what pups (including Everything) love: playing ball.

The pair began their special friendship when Sontag-Ratti first laid eyes on his boxer-rottweiler mix puppy in 2002.

“My uncle’s dog had puppies and I decided I wanted one,” he told ABC News of the two met. “My uncle gave me first pick of the litter. Out of all the puppies, Everything was the standout. First to the food, first to greet me, she was such a sweet puppy.”

Everything lived until 2014, passing away at the age of 12. Initially, Sontag-Ratti was going to place tennis balls at Everything’s favorite place: the beach. But weather became an issue.

“Some of our favorite things to do together was walking on the beach, down by the bay or ocean,” Sontag-Ratti explained. “I was going to go to our favorite beach just north of Pigeon Point lighthouse and leave some balls with a note but it has been very rainy here in California recently and the balls and note would have gotten wet, or maybe even not be found due to people avoiding the beach on rainy days.”

After the Instagram post went viral, Sontag-Ratti is concerned he will need to stock up on more tennis balls.

“Yesterday I was thinking I wasn’t going to be able to get rid of all the balls I purchased. Today I’m trying to figure out how I can afford to buy some more,” he told the outlet. “The response has been amazing and overwhelmingly positive. I’m blown away really.”

Sontag-Ratti was planning on spending one-week’s paycheck to cover the cost of shipping but now he believes it will be two weeks, which is fine by him.

“I would spend my last dollar if it helped keep the memory of my Everything alive.”



H/T ABC