If you're anything like me, the family dog is actually part of the family. They walk around as if they own the house, spend their days lounging on the couch, and often eat the same thing us humans have for dinner.

In all honesty, I would much rather spend my Saturday nights hanging out with my dogs than getting all dressed up to go out. In fact, before college, I felt like I spent every living and breathing moment with my dog and that was more than okay.

I was in for a shock when I had to move away to college. Gone are the days we would sit on the couch watching Grey's Anatomy together. No more getting home from school and me talking about my life and my dog just sitting there listening contently.

One of the best things about my dog is I can tell them anything without judgments or snarky comments. I can go on and on about my Tinder date gone wrong without my mom giving me the side eye for being on Tinder in the first place.

I can vent about my semester being so stressful and busy without my dad telling me I should've taken a lighter course load. My dog just takes in all that gibberish and offers me a little canine support along the way. As I am having a life chat with my dog, I can also simultaneously give her belly scratches— that absolutely would not fly with the 'rents.

I also talk to my parents every day, unlike my dog and I. We text, we talk on the phone, and we occasionally FaceTime. I tell them just about everything going on in my life and vice versa, so I don't really have a reason to miss them much (minus the hugs and mom's homemade food). But can I text my dog?

No. I can't casually tell them what I had for lunch or about the crazy weekend I had. I can't vent to them and have them just stare at me in confusion. All I have is the thousands of pictures on my phone to get me through each day until I have the chance to go home and hang with my bestie.