As any human being knows, the hardest part of going back to school, or even leaving the house, is saying goodbye to your canine companion. Yes, saying bye to mama is a hard, but saying goodbye to your best friend never gets easier. To my dearest dog ...

You’re my person.

So, you aren’t a person, but you are my person. You have sat through some fairly traumatic "Grey’s Anatomy" episodes and countless other shows with me, especially "101 Dalmatians," which I know is your favorite. You have always been by my side when I needed it and shown me constant love and attention. In the historical words of Christina Yang, “If there’s no food, I’m going home [to my dog].” She didn’t technically say the dog part, but I imagine that’s how she felt.

You are the equivalent of my child, but not in a psycho way.

I remember the day we brought you home, our first car ride to the vet, the first time you got a fever from your shots, the time you ate my favorite shirt, and the time you thought it would be cute to wrestle my little defenseless cousin. Basically, I remember it and document it all like any good helicopter mom would.

The amount of pictures I have of you on my phone isn’t weird, it’s endearing.

You are my best friend, after all, and every time I come home, I will have a photoshoot for you/of you. You may or may not be both my lock screen and home screen savers, and I may or may not wait in anticipation to show off your picture every chance I get. But let’s be real, you’re cute, and the world deserves to see your puppy face.

I’m sorry for that one time I stepped on your paw and overreacted.

So, it was maybe more than one time, but just know that it hurt me more than it hurt you. Kudos for bouncing back so quickly because, to be honest, I am still recovering. I cringe every time I think about it. A small part of me lives in constant fear that I am going to hell for it. You are my little trooper, and yes, next time it happens, I will proceed to jump around a thousand times and continuously rub your paw until you run away.

Always remember, they may just be part of your life, but you are their whole life.