Man Honors His Best Friend's Memory In The Sweetest Way

Chris lost his beloved dog, Everything, two years ago, when she passed away at age 12. This year, he's honoring her memory by encouraging others to spend some quality time with their own furry friends.

"I purchased 100 tennis balls last week," he wrote in an Instagram post. "I plan on sending them to anyone who wants one."

"Please use this tennis ball to spend some quality time with your best friend," he added.

Since the post, Chris has been inundated with requests for tennis balls. He told The Dodo that, as of Thursday night, he'd packed up around 70 balls, and hoped to send the other 30 by the next morning.

"The first lot of balls is spoken for, but I am working on getting some more balls to send out," he said.

Chris has also received touching messages from dog lovers moved by his project. "I have been receiving pictures of people and their dogs all day long today [Thursday] - with stories about them," he said.

"I am beyond grateful for the response to the idea," he added.

And when it comes to his Everything, Chris has plenty of fond memories of his own to share.

"Our favorite times together were walking on the beaches of the California coast," he told The Dodo. "She [Everything] was a unique personality - very kind and loving, never, ever aggressive."

Chris also had a few words of wisdom for anyone grieving the loss of a pet. "What helped me the most was keeping myself busy," he said. "I allowed myself to grieve for her, but I didn't allow myself to be sunk by the sadness."

"The memory of her is alive and well," he added.

He's right: When 100 dogs go outside to play ball today, they'll do so in honor of Everything.