When I chose to attend Messiah College, I knew that I would have to live on campus and therefore not be able to see my dog everyday. I sacrificed coming home everyday to my energetic and joyful best friend in order to come to my dream college. I feel bad for disrupting his normal school day routine. I wake up and let him continue to sleep as I got ready for school in the morning. When I would come home from school, I would be welcomed back into my home with a cheerful greeting. For the rest of the evening, he would follow me all over the house, until it was time for him to eat. After his dinner, he would go up to my bedroom and fall asleep as I finished homework. Now that I'm at college, I don't have my "shadow" to keep me company. I've never not lived with a dog and the transition to college is hard enough without having to say goodbye to my family.

I've had Riley, my beagle, since I was eight years old and he is one of my best friends. He's a great listener when my human friends aren't around; he doesn't think that I'm crazy for crying over a boy. He loves to watch movies with me and also loves when I share popcorn with him. He's always there for protection against the other dogs in the neighborhood, even if they are twice his size. Leaving Riley has made me more homesick than I would be if I didn't have a dog. One of the worst parts of leaving him for the semester is that he has no idea when I will be him. In his mind, he may think that I'm never coming back. My mom had to promise to send a picture of Riley everyday in order to make me stop worrying. Riley will always be my dog and I will always be his person.