Early September, I began one of the greatest adventures of my life thus far: I became a dog owner. I adopted my Australian Cattle dog mix, Frank, from the human society and the rest was history. Frank has taught me more in our short six months together than I could have learned otherwise. Frank may be small, but he has so much to offer, so much to give, and so much to teach me.
Frank came into my life at the perfect time; I had just returned to school after taking time off. During this time, I was often stressed out, overwhelmed and generally all over the place. When I was told that an emotional support animal may not be a bad idea, I was overcome with the joy of owning an animal. Having grown up with two dogs, being away at school and animal-less is no easy task.
After weeks of going from animal shelter to animal shelter to find the perfect dog to fit my needs and lifestyle, I finally found Frank. Frank was only 16 pounds and five months old when he came into my life. He was small, timid and ready to give all of the love in the world.
Owning Frank has taught me a lot about responsibility and selflessness. Above all, though, owning a dog has taught me about unconditional love. The first thing Frank did when he saw me at the shelter was run into my lap; he was scared and he needed me as much as I needed him. Frank loved me right off the bat, and I loved him right back.
However, Frank isn't always the easiest to love. There are countless days where I come home from class and a new pair of Birkenstock sandals or my laptop charger has been ruined by his chewing habit. That's not to mention the days where I come home to my homework shredded across my floor, the wall scratched at, or my glasses torn in half.
Through all that, though, I can't help but love Frank even more. Despite his flaws (as naughty as they may be), Frank has taught me to love unconditionally. Sure, he makes a lot of mistakes. Sure, he's ruined more of my things than I can count. But, when you look at his puppy face, you can't help but love him. You can't help but know he's just a puppy, and he didn't know any better.
With the bad, there's the good. I can't count the times where Frank has noticed a change in my mood and tried to cheer me up. He's always there to cuddle with me or give me his toys when I'm feeling down. If I'm happy, Frank's happy. And if I'm down, Frank's trying his best to make me happy again. For that, I cannot thank him enough.
Maybe I didn't know exactly what I was getting into six months ago when I adopted Frank, but I sure am glad I did it anyway. Frank has taught me an invaluable lesson about unconditional love despite his flaws, and I can't wait to keep learning more.
