This may sound odd, but many of my best friends do not walk on two legs. They have a tail and hair covering their entire body. They do not speak English, but I think they understand parts of it. Some of them like to lick my face. Some of them like to curl up on my lap to sleep. Some of them even weigh close to one thousand pounds. This is because some of my closest friends are animals.

I grew up surrounded by animals. Whether it was dogs, cats, horses, or even fish, there was always a companion close by. I could not imagine my life without a pet in it. Especially sitting here at college, I miss seeing a furry face every day. It is something that I always look forward to when I go home on breaks. I am one of those people that are drawn to every dog that walks on campus. I am also one of those people that slow down in the middle of a run on the road just to admire the different horses in the fields. I will even admit loving living with a few devilish little cats. Sometimes it is frustrating having animals in your house – the hair that always seems to find its way onto your freshly washed clothes, the mysterious scratch marks on the walls, the dirty paw prints on the floors – but let me tell you, it is worth it. I am so used to having hair (that isn't mine) on my clothes that is has become almost a daily accessory. I get mad when I find my headphones chewed to shreds (multiple times), but can I really stay angry at that cute, little face? Even getting my foot stepped on by a one thousand pound horse does not seem so bad when he nibbles my hand playfully and looks at me with those big, round eyes.

Some people wonder how you can be “friends” with something that cannot speak to you, or read and write. I think it is easy to see once you have lived around animals. When you care for them, these creatures love you unconditionally (whether they show it often or not). They are there for you sometimes when other human beings cannot be. They are great listeners, and they never judge what you have to say. They are even great at keeping secrets that you have to get off of your chest. When I come home, at least one of my dogs will always be there with their tail wagging, acting like the happiest living thing alive due to the fact that I am home again.

Whether you are an animal person or not, you have to admit that at certain times, people just get on your nerves and you need a break from human interaction. Don’t get me wrong, having human friends that I can interact with is great, but sometimes you just need a furry friend in your life to put a smile on your face.