This is my first publication for Odyssey. I am glad to have joined the team and I look forward to writing many pieces in my time here. In the week I had to come up with my first article, I thought I might do a coverage on the white-paved roads in California or on a recent study that found there is no definitive link between behavior and violent video games.

Then, on Tuesday, January 23rd at around 6 in the afternoon, my Dad called me to his office and told me that our dog Rudy had 'advanced cancer' and didn't have very long to live.

Each of us is tasked with traversing a road.

Each of us is tasked with traversing a road. It is our sole job. No one is expected to reach the end, though everyone is equally as achieved with their mileage. And though this may seem a depressing fate, the journey is an adventure; one worth partaking.

Along our road trip, we often walk alongside others. We try to make the monotony of the road life more bearable. Our friends join us when they can, but they have their own road to travel. Sometimes people cross paths, but while not always the case, these people never stay with us throughout the entirety of the journey. What I have found so amazing is the capacity of the modern domesticated canine to happen upon our paths and remain so effortlessly loyal and loving to us.

Dogs are astoundingly capable of loving us no matter who we are

Dogs are astoundingly capable of loving us no matter who we are. Those that have had the luxury of a caring nurture environment grow up to be the single most enjoyable entity on this planet. Though they stay with us not even a quarter of our road's length, we are their entire journey.

It was that moment in my Dad's office that I could see the end of Rudy's road. He has yet to see it, but it's closer than even I expected.

Everyone's road does not reside in some profitable city that can afford to repave their roads often. Some parts of the road are entirely rubble. Rudy's road was not entirely smooth either; having lost a toe and torn his ACL twice, he had done his fair share of walking. He will be 11 years old on the 31st of January.

I am not certain whether his road will lead him past this achievement or come just short. Whatever it is, I know that he has enjoyed the adventure and so dearly have I.

I love you, Rudy.

-Your Best Friend