Imagine you’re sitting down in the kitchen with your family. You have tears streaming down your face and are doing your best to hold back sobs. You lean down and whisper in your dog's ear that “it’s all ok, they can let go now.”

This was the position I was on June 3, 2016. I was sitting on the kitchen floor next to my parents with never-ending tears trailing down my cheeks as I said goodbye to my dog, Buddy.

I knew that this tragic day would come eventually, and I had known that this was the right decision to make in order to put Buddy out of his misery, but it did not make the heartbreak any easier.

Buddy was my protector who stood out in the rain waiting for me to come home safely from a neighbor's house, he was the first one down the stairs on Christmas morning, and he was the dog that sat in the drivers seat and honked the horn at my mom when she took too long in the vet's office.

Having to realize that the one thing I had the best memories with would now become a memory himself was the most difficult thing to overcome. However, I assure you that I treasure each and every one of them, from taking him to the barn for the first time to when he would lick my tears clean.

Pets are family. No ifs, ands, or buts about it.

Buddy loved our family unconditionally and never asked for anything in return other than to be taken care of and to give him that love back in return.

Instead of receiving a class ring for my graduation, my parents gave me a ring that held Buddy’s ashes in the middle. I wear it every single day on my ring finger so that way he is always close to me. I even joke that when I get proposed to by my boyfriend, he will have to put the ring on a different finger.

I was blessed to have grown up having a loyal and loving dog by my side to show me what true, unconditional love looks like. Buddy was the greatest gift from God that my family could have ever asked for, and I am forever grateful.

Never ever take your pets for granted, and always show them the love that they deserve because one day you might end up in my position: sitting in the kitchen floor, tears streaming down your face, saying your final goodbyes with only memories to hold onto.

After all, a dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than he loves himself.