There are certain things that only dog owners get the chance to learn from their four-legged friends. Growing up with a dog as a child gave me a different perspective on life. As cheesy as it sounds, my dog changed my life. I never realized how much he affected me until he passed away because life now is so much different.
So, to my companion for over ten years, thank you for being there for me. When life just did not seem to go the way I expected, thank you for letting me lay my head on you and soak my tears in your fur. It seemed like you were the only one who listened, probably because I didn't really give you a choice, but to me... it meant the world. Whether it was when I was in second grade and upset that my brother wouldn't share with me or when I was in fourth grade and my parents got divorced, you were the first one that I was able to go to. Even when I wasn't crying, you sensed my sadness and laid with me until I felt better.
Thank you for being my friend when I felt like I did not have any. At 7 years old, I forced you to be put into baby carriages and dressed you up in unexplainable clothing. You never fussed with me and just let me do whatever to you happily. That's what I call true friendship. Whenever I got asked who my best friend was, I would always say you. When I moved to a new town to go to a new school in seventh grade, I felt lost. But, when I came home to you, I didn't feel so alone. I felt okay with not having close friends yet because you seemed to fill that emptiness.
Thank you for showing me how to always have a positive outlook on life. Through all the children picking at you or the nights where you ate something you weren't supposed to and got sick, you always were happy as long as you were with the right people. Even in your last few weeks, you were going through the pain that we could not even notice because you always seemed so happy.
Coming home and not being greeted by my four-legged friend at my feet is still a new feeling for me even though he left us about three years ago. It never got easier because all the things I took for granted in having a dog is now gone. And yes, my family could simply just get a new one but nothing is ever the same as the one you grew up with, especially when he impacted you the way he did. This letter could not even do justice on how amazing my first dog really was. But thank you, Rocky, for being the best first dog anyone could have ever imagined.
