The thing about losing a pet, is you never really expect it. Well you do, but not until you're old and grey, or when your parents are at least. Some pets get hit by cars, which is pretty common. Some pass from old age, and some get put down because they are suffering, which in my opinion is the worst way to lose your best friend.
Animals are such intelligent beings. I know people say that your pet has no idea what you are saying, but I don't believe that at all. They interact with you in a way that can be so loving, and caring all at the same time. When you are in a rut, your pet is the one to sit by your side to comfort you. They are the best things to ever happen to this planet! I'm going to get specific here, and discuss mainly about dogs and cats. My cat and my dog were my go-tos. I didn't have a lot of friends growing up, I kind of liked it that way, and then sometimes I didn't. I found myself always looking to my animals when no one was watching for advice. Weird, huh? That may be so, but it was comforting for me. Here I am today, and I have neither of my pets.
I had the same cat ever since I was three years old. My senior year of high school, I had a cheer competition, the very last home meet of my entire high school career. I got the news, right before going on the mat that my cat was put down, she was very sick. My heart was so broken. I never knew how much she meant to me until it hit that she was gone. Coming home to an empty pet bed, covered in her white fur from her shedding. I sobbed. Growing up she hated me, but as we got older she was always laying on my bed, in my face, or begging for food. She was fat, but I loved her. I miss her everyday.
My first dog I got when I was in the fifth grade. She was just a cuddly ball of fluff. She was the ideal, picture perfect family pet. She loved everyone! I remember sitting with her in my sunroom, we were both young, and I was trying to teach her how to shake but instead of using the word shake, we used "I promise." I can't discuss what we were promising because that was between me and her, but she knew. She understood me more than a lot of humans did. We both got older, and grew a part. I went to college and only saw her whenever I came home. She would always run to my car the minute she saw me pull in the drive way. But when it was time to leave, she would show me that she was sad. I was sad too. She was truly my best friend.
It is my second year of college, and I got news that completely flipped my life around. Here I am, working two new jobs, really enjoying life and actually being happy for the first time in while and I get the most devastating news to change everything. I came home for break and was informed that my dog, my best friend, had cancer and only had so long to live. I can't even explain my devastation. I will never understand how the kindest of things can be taken away by cancer. It angered me. She was fighting through it for me and my family's sake. I could tell. She did everything she could to see us happy, but she could only fight for so long. She passed a few days before Christmas. I'll be honest, my life hasn't been the same. There was an empty food bowl just sitting on the kitchen floor for so long, it hurt to even look at it.
I know it sounds pathetic, but when you develop such a close relationship to something, everything in your life just reminds you of them. My dog would sit next to me and watch me get ready for school every morning. I would sing her lullabies or just songs in general and she would fall asleep next to me. There were certain TV shows that she would sit down and enjoy with me and my family. Everything has changed in my life, all because of the loss of her.
I think what makes losing a pet even more painful, is seeing the people around you and their reactions. My mother took it the hardest. She loved our dog like she would her own children. I lost a fluffy sister, and she lost a fluffy daughter. Dad's always have to be the one to take one for the team and do the dirty work. Siblings well, it's bad enough that you left them for college. Everything just changes, everyone has their own roles in the loss of a pet.
They aren't just animals. They are family. I know that sounds like such a cliche thing to say, but it is true. If you love animals, they become more than just a big ball of fluff that you can cuddle all the time. They become your go-to, your best friend, and your family all in one.
This article is dedicated to my two lovable, fluffy, best friends, Daisy May & Mocha Marie
