To my furry best friend,

From the moment I met you, as I held your tiny body in my big hands and felt your soft heartbeat pulse slowly in your chest, you changed my life. Between the way you walked, or should I say ran, around our house, while smoothly tripping over your own feet, to the small growls and cries you made as you learned what your voice was and how to use it, you gave me a sense of overwhelming joy that I would never have experienced without you in my life.

Growing up an only child, it was difficult to form close knit relationships with people other than my parents. As much as they tried to bring me to events with children my own age, there was always this small feeling of emptiness inside me that wouldn't go away. I remember telling my parents how much I wanted a dog, almost as if I needed one so badly I wouldn't be able to breathe. I knew that, with the love and companionship of an animal such as you, I would feel like a full person. All they said was how much a responsibility you would be and how they weren't ready to take on all that since I was still so young. So, I waited out my time until I could have you in my life.

I kept dropping the smallest of hints, whether it was a photo of a dog in a magazine or a cute puppy that went for a walk in the park. Finally they caved into my desire for you and I was the happiest eight-year-old on the planet! We picked you up from a breeder in Pennsylvania, removing you from one loving environment and placing you into another. Ever since that day, you have done more than just fill the void inside me. You have made me a strong, loving and gentle person that I could never have become if it weren't for you.

You brought more love and happiness into my life than I could have ever imagined receiving from any animal or living being. You have been more than just an animal to me, you have become my family. I can say with 100 percent confidence that I know I will always have somebody to greet me at the door each time I come home and someone who will give me hugs and kisses no matter what time of day it is. You could be feeling at your worst, whether it be from sleepiness or from sickness, and you will still try your hardest to put me first and make sure I'm feeling the best I possibly can feel. I feel so blessed and honored to have you in my life and know that you are with me for every step of it.

Many people may think that I am crazy because dogs can't talk or because they have no ability to do anything but eat, play fetch and sleep. They are completely wrong. You may not be able to respond to me when I cry on your shoulder or tell you about my day, but I know that you are always here and will always listen. You may not be able to go out to the mall and shop with me or eat out at restaurants, but being at home with you, hugging you tightly while we watch TV or going outside to play fetch with you brightens my mood more than any retail or food therapy ever could. You truly are my best friend in ever way, shape and form, no matter what you look like and for all you do for me I wanted to say "thank you."

Thank you for being my personal protection whenever I am home alone and there is the slightest movement outside our house. Thank you for allowing me to cry on your back as I hug you, which you may not like but you endure, as you lick all the tears off my face on those days where I need to feel the extra amounts of love. Thank you for being the always new-and-improved dishwasher, licking every plate clean when I give you the extra remains of my meals as you sit there with that adorable smirk on your face, waiting patiently for more every time.

Thank you for teaching me that some problems that you may think are serious aren't really that serious after all and that laughing is the true key to happiness. I will never forget the countless times that you ran into the screen door as a puppy, hoping to run outside and attack the vicious leaves that were blowing in the wind. I'll always remember the moment where I thought I could never love you more than how much I loved you when you very kindly and gently removed your toy from all of my stuffed animals on my bed while not touching anything else but that specific toy. Two of my greatest lessons that I have learned from you are that no outfit is complete without being covered in dog fur and that every time I leave the house with it all over, it means that I will always have a piece of you with me.

There are not enough words to express how much you mean to me and reciprocate all that you have given to me. Most importantly, if there is anything that I could thank you for the most, it would be for teaching me what unconditional love really means. You have a devotion to me that I know for a fact nobody will ever have. You have given me a new perspective on living while showing me the all of the beauty and good that this world has to offer. Thank you for making my life whole and for allowing me to trust in you all of my life and soul.

I love you more than you will ever know and you will always be my best friend and my person.

Love,

Your Human