A week ago today, I said goodbye to my best friend. My day began just like any other morning, as I got ready to attend yet another class I dreaded going to. However, it wasn’t until I was walking to class that I got the worst call of my life. I answered my dad’s call expecting it to be like all of our other typical “Hi, how are you?” talks but this one was quite the opposite. My dad had to tell me via phone, that my best-friend of 13 years had passed away.

Now to many people, I’m sure you think I am being melodramatic comparing the loss of a dog to the loss of a person. The honest truth is, that Gato was much more than “just a dog”.

While I am not trying to diminish the roles that important people in our lives play, the reality is that dogs simply surpass humans in many ways.

Gato was my best friend since Kindergarten, and I had to come to terms with her loss over the phone, by myself, over 800 miles from home. Gato was old for a dog, 16 to be exact, so to be fair I had been preparing myself for this moment for ages, but there really is no way to “prepare” yourself for losing your best friend.

Don’t get me wrong, I am a social person and I have plenty of friends, but Gato was and always will be my first best friend. Gato was there for me in a way that no human ever could be. Dogs provide a sort of unconditional love that can’t always be found with humans. There have been people in my life that have come and gone; however, through it all, I have always had my four-legged friend to help me me.

Gato was one of the most supportive people in my life. I could go to her ecstatic with good news and she would celebrate with me, as she got perked up, and wagged her tail as fast as she could. She was also there for me in my lowest times, the nights that I cried my self to sleep, she stayed by my side, drowning me in kisses and cuddling through the night so I never felt alone. And when I messed up? Gato never asked questions or passed judgments, but rather was always there by my side to show her support. Through every hardship I faced, Gato was always the best listener and my biggest supporter. The special thing about dogs is that they can understand how we’re feeling, and that they always know just how to react. No matter if I was ecstatic, devastated, or stressed to no end, Gato would automatically know without me saying a word and never ask a question, which is an amazing talent humans don’t have.

Dogs have an appreciation for the small things in life, which is more than I can say for many people in my life today. All it took to make my friend smile was a pat on the back, scratch of the stomach, or a small little treat.

Gato was always my first hello to say when I got home, and my last goodbye before leaving; the family member who was most excited to greet me with kisses and most upset to see my suitcase heading toward the door.

I think maybe one of the reasons it is so difficult to lose a dog, is because unlike the people in our lives, we don’t get a chance to say goodbye to our four-legged best friends, and let them know their importance in our lives.

Gato had been sick for a while at this point, and had the highest medical bills in our family. She had been taking seven pills every morning and evening for numerous different conditions including canine cognitive decline (otherwise known as doggy dementia), congestive heart failure, kidney failure, hypothyroidism, arthritis, but she was happiest old dog I knew. Maybe it is selfish of me to wish she had been able to hold out just a little longer so I could pet her just one more time, or at least say goodbye in person. Or maybe it is unfair to wish my other dog, Riley, could understand why she woke up one morning to find her best friend missing, because she will never know what happened to her partner in crime. However, I know a big reason that I have these selfish thoughts is because dogs impact you in a way that people simply cannot.

Through my best friend’s endless support, I have realized I am never alone. Through her appreciation for the smaller things in life, I have recognized that I need to be more grateful for all of my countless blessing. Through her never-ending loyalty, to myself as well as all of my family and friends, I have learned that I am and never will be alone. And through her passing, I have realized that everyone comes into our life for our reason, so rather than mourn her loss, I should be thankful for her presence.