Dogs are, without a doubt, one of the best parts of my life. I've grown up with dogs; my parents got our first dog before I was even born, so I've never known a home without a dog and at my house we've always had at least two at a time. Most of the time it's three. We're major dog people. Being away at college has been my first experience without dogs, and it hasn't been an easy one. I'm sure some people are in the same boat as I am. So I wanted to share my story, hoping that others can relate and hopefully ease some of the pain that comes from missing dogs back at home.

Over the summer, my family had three dogs. They're pictured below, in the order that follows: Sally, Bella, and Maggie.

They are the absolute best dogs any family could ever ask for.

This past summer, Sally got very sick. She woke up in the middle of the night one night unable to stand up. We had to take her to the vet, where we found out she had internal bleeding caused by cancer. The next morning she passed away.

Losing Sally was hard. She had been in my life since second grade, and I couldn't remember what life was like without her. I felt bad for Bella and Maggie. Sally was like a mother figure to them, and I knew they didn't understand why Sally didn't come home with us. I couldn't imagine losing a mother figure like they did without any explanation.

Summer continued on in the absence of Sally, full of treats, long walks, and belly rubs for Bella and Maggie. When it came time for me to leave for college, I was ready, but I didn't want to leave my dogs, as crazy as that sounds.

When you grow up with dogs, it isn't easy to learn to live somewhere without them. You grow accustomed to them greeting you at the door every afternoon, and to them begging at the table every time you eat. I really missed just sitting on the couch, with my dogs curled up next to me, just snuggling.

Being able to visit home is such a blessing. I'm only four hours away, so I'm able to visit usually once a month, if my schedule permits. That's about as long as I can go without seeing my dogs. Every time I come home after a long stretch of being away at school, my dogs greet me at the door, whining because they're so excited to see me. It makes me happy, but it also breaks my heart because they don't understand why I'm gone for so long.

Recently, just before winter break ended, we decided to add a new pup to our family. We named her Sadie, and her picture is below:

Sadie is the sweetest little puppy. I was overjoyed when we added her to our family. The only downside was I only got to be at home with her for three days before I had to return to school.

I like to Facetime my parents during the week if I have time and they'll show me what the dogs are up to, and they also send me a lot of pictures and videos. It isn't easy, but it's the best we can do.

Although I miss my dogs, a lot, I'm happy at college. I wish they were here with me, but it just makes going home to see them that much more special.