Twenty years old is the time to figure out who you are, who you want to be and to explore everything in between. The responsibilities you have are meant to be turning in your homework on time and getting to your part-time job the day after going out. Or so I thought, So, when the idea of having a pet presented itself (I couldn’t even take great care of my fish in high school), I shrunk at the idea and said no.
Now, it is almost exactly six months later and I can tell you having a pet at the age of 20 has been the largest challenge in ways that I hadn’t anticipated. Why? From the very, very late nights awake with our 2 1/2-month-old dog to the fifth pair of chewed up shoes, he taught me love in a way that I never knew how. It was true and pure because I had to make the choice for this little guy to come home with me. Not only did he show me how to love in the most wholesome form, but also he helped me grow up.
When a puppy wakes up at 8 a.m., you’re going to wake up too, I promise. The story is the same at 2 a.m. and 5 p.m. No, you’re not going to want to crawl out of bed to go outside, especially not when it’s cold. But there I was trudging around in the cold, rain, or summer heat in my robe and PJs. That’s only the start of how it changes you though; it’s making sure each day they’ve been fed, they’ve been walked and played with. It’s helping this little creature figure out what is good, bad, safe and what makes them happy (who might I add has never had any of this experience before and for Mal, it's Tim Horton's Timbits).
It helps to teach that possessions are just that, possessions, but I will admit it took me about five pairs of shoes to come to terms with that idea. The most important thing it taught me is how words can be hurtful. Weirdly enough, my dog taught me, the 20-year-old, that words hurt. I bet you’re thinking, what do you mean? Instead of using the word "bad" every time he did something he wasn’t supposed to, we just showered him with reassurance. Using words like "no" and "calm" instead, so whenever we use the word "bad," that’s just what it means. For him, it's the most intense form of punishment, no yelling, just the word. He hangs his head, lies down, and sometimes even cries. Knowing what effect that could have on my happy little pup, I only use the word when it’s truthfully that, bad.
People question the idea of being young with a pet, but I don’t think there’s any better time to start. While I’m in college, balancing the life of something that couldn’t take care of itself without us, my job and my school work. Love has never been more of a choice for me. No, pets aren’t just a gift. They’re a lifelong commitment, but they’re a commitment that will teach you everything you need to know about yourself in the process. Not only will they give you things you couldn't ever buy, but they'll be there for the good and the bad times so thanks my sweet little puppy, Malakai Greg, for teaching me how to love, how to lose, to be kinder and even more humble.
