If I were to seriously break down every aspect of my life into what was most important to me and what was least important, it would be a very difficult process. At least for the most part. One thing I know for sure that would be at the top of my list would be my dogs. Yes, you read that correctly, my dogs.
When I was younger I never thought that my dogs would become such an important part of my life. During the early years of my childhood I grew up with one dog, a golden retriever by the name of Sammy. I loved this dog, he was the first one I had that I truly felt was a part of me. However, when I was about nine years old, he got very sick, and I knew he wasn't going to be around very much longer. I was heartbroken at the thought of losing him. Luckily, my spirits were lifted when my mom told me that we were going to a woman's house to look at puppies. This was such an exciting experience for me because I never really interacted with puppies before. In fact, Sammy was already six years old when we got him. I remember walking into this woman's house and seeing all of the puppies and thinking "wow I want all of them" but I knew that couldn't happen. Then I saw him, this little black and white dog whose eyes were filled with pure love. I had to have him. I asked my mom if we could take him home, and after giving me a speech on how much responsibility it takes to handle a puppy, she agreed. I was so excited, it didn't even bother me that I had to use my own money to buy him. I had only known this dog for a few moments, but I already knew I loved him. Little did I know that he would be the first of many to simultaneously live with me and be a part of my family.
About five or six months later, another dog came into my life. Her name was Nikki and she was the pet of a woman whom my mother was friends with but could no longer take care of. She was the most adorable little Pomeranian I had ever seen, even if she was an extreme barker. However, she was not a puppy at all, she was six years old. I didn't mind this, I was just happy to have another dog. She was very rambunctious and it was humorous to see the interactions between my puppy, whose name was Dexter and who was rather large at this point, and this little lady of a dog.
About a year and a few months later, we found a new addition to our family. He was this little Havanese poodle named Diego. Diego was the family pet to a hoarder and rescuing him was one of the best things my mother could have done. He was completely matted and couldn't see because of how matted he was. We made sure to clean him up and even renamed him Teddy because he looked like a little Teddy Bear.
A few years went by before we got another dog. This addition, however is probably the most important one to me. I was 13 years old and I was having a really rough time. It was during the summer, and I had been visiting my father and his family in Arizona, this was the first time I had been so far away from home for a long period of time and being away was really upsetting. Now, don't get me wrong, I loved seeing my dad, stepmom, and sister. But I really missed my mom and pets. My mom could tell based on how I sounded during phone calls that I was upset, and she didn't know what to do to lift my spirits. When I got home, I walked into my room and there he was, this little dachshund/Pomeranian mix. I broke into tears. I never knew how much I would love this dog. I named him Jasper, and even though he gets extremely agitated and vocal, he fit right into my family.
Now you're probably thinking, "four dogs, you stopped after that, right?" Wrong! In the early months of 2013, I had been going to this pet store just to play with the puppies that were there. I knew that they were not getting the best treatment so I figured a few moments of love would light their day. I went nearly every week, but I kept going back to this one little black and white Pomeranian. He was so adorable, and every week I asked my mom if we could get him, and she kept insisting that we already had enough dogs. I was very upset by this. Until one day I was sitting on the couch at home when I noticed a very large bump coming from inside my mom's sweatshirt. She had gotten me the dog. I was ecstatic. She said that what sold her on him was that he had the same birthday as me! That was it. I was happy to have a new family member, Bandit.
Years have gone by since Bandit's adoption, and despite having fostered approximately 60 dogs, we have not adopted anymore (we do have two cats now, but that's a different story). All five of my dogs since adopting Dexter are still alive today and it's hard during the school year to be away from them. But coming home and seeing their tails wag and the smile on their faces as I walk through the door is a feeling that is truly irreplaceable.
