I hate that you're not with me in college.

Do you remember being born in our bathroom? Did you know that you were originally Mama's dog and not mine? Do you realize how much I love you and how much you mean to me?

I was in third grade when you were born. When you were a puppy it was so much fun. We fostered your mom and brothers and sisters so you wouldn't be put down at the local animal shelter. You stayed inside your mom's tummy for a week or two past her due date and then you were born. There were two runts of the litter that didn't make it, you being the third, we fought for you to survive. You were so tiny compared to the other puppies and Mama liked you best of all.

She named you Tipper because you were completely black except for the white "tips" on your itty-bitty toes. Instead of giving you back to the shelter for someone to adopt you, Daddy brought you home. Mama tried to be angry with him, but she loved you so much and you were a Harrell.

We had a rocky start to our relationship. I was in third grade when you chewed up my Nintendo DS and Nintendogs and I remember crying over that digitized dog, Chewy. I was so mad at you, and at that time you weren't mine I wasn't yours, and we hadn't found our bond yet.

I think how you switched owners in the end was because whenever I got scared, I would crawl into your bed (a giant pillow on the floor) and fall asleep while you kept the monsters at bay. Many times I would wake up and you would still be awake and would watch over me while I slept, my own personal guardian angel. I never had any nightmares when I heard your snores and whenever I was scared you were the thing upon which I would lean...and then fall asleep on at night.

As I grew older, I guess I never realized that you were growing, too. You went from this spritely little terror who chewed anything and everything that you could get your jaws around, whether that be Mama's new pair of shoes or my computer cord, to an old girl (that kind of looks like a fat seal) who has a hard time going up our stairs now.

I realize now that I'm away at college, I have a hard time falling asleep when you're not on the floor beside me sawing logs. You are the best friend I took for granted. I never realized how much I would miss you or how much I needed someone who thought I was the world for just giving her the leftovers of my meal.

I miss coming home and having you wag your tail at me, just happy because your person is with you. I never knew how much one dog could impact my life. Sure, I'd grown up in a home where we always had at least three dogs at one time, but I hadn't had a dog that was mine.

I'll go out on a limb and say that "Marley and Me" has nothing on us, Tip.