A commonly heard claim by hundreds of people every day is that they have the "best dog ever." This could very well be true, as I won't deny that dogs are some of the greatest gifts to mankind. They are made solely of love and loyalty with a purity like no other. How can that not be a good thing?

The thing is that while so many may have this thought in their heads that they have the best dog, no dog is comparable to my friend, Bubba. Never have I seen such an expressive and charismatic dog, let alone living creature. From day one of knowing him, I have been consistently surprised with his human-like characteristics and wildly personable actions.

Bubba has always used his paws as if they were hands. If anyone were within arm distance from him, he would nudge them with his paw until they held it and rubbed and massaged his entire arm and paw. He also used his paws to hold onto his snacks and treats, either to make sure they didn't go anywhere, or just to enjoy his delicacy further. There were so many other unusual uses for his paws that set him lightyears beyond any other dog. Bubba may even have been the first animal to use his paws for dexterity purposes.

Bubba's intelligence definitely created a clear line between him and any other canine. Nothing got past this guy, ever. On several occasions in the warm weather, I often go on late night walks around the neighborhood, one of Bubba's all-time favorite activities. I would always think I was being sneaky, leaving the house without a trace. I would make it one block around the hood, and as I passed the house, there was Bubba, waiting for me angrily in the yard. You knew he was there, because you could see his blonde silhouette from halfway down the street, even in the darkest of nights. I would then have to take a second walk with him, just to get him to stop scolding me with his barking for going without him the first time.

Some may think, "Why would I not want to take him in the first place?" because as previously mentioned, Bubba loved his walks more than almost anything in the world. As I'm sure you can imagine, his excitement was clearly evident in his walking. He would trot so quickly on that leash that I would almost trip running after him. People would often question who was walking whom! I can proudly admit to you that I was the one being walked.

Mr. Majestic was one of his many nicknames, as he would stand so proudly over his yard, right under a tall oak tree next to our driveway. The high and mighty Bubba very much enjoyed keeping a watchful eye over his yard, barking at any passing neighbors, and more times than not, scaring them speechless. There was always a big, brown lab that he would bark at the most. To this day, I still can't figure out what it was about the lab that he yapped so fiercely at. Every time it walked by and Bubba would start his screaming bark, you could hear someone in the house say, "There's Brown Dog again!"

Bubba also had the strongest digestive system I've ever seen, on anyone or anything. I once witnessed hime devour two and a half pans of rich, milk chocolate brownies. Chocolate is supposedly poisonous for dogs... It didn't phase him for a second. He could eat an entire coop's worth of grilled chicken and still be hungry.

The loyalty in this dog was also unreal... Most dogs prefer to be left alone, but not Bubba. If someone did so much as leave a room while he was asleep, he would get up and follow them around the house until they sat down again. Anytime I was sick and missed school, I would sleep on the sofa in the living room. Bubba would then join me on the other sofa, and we'd nap the day away. We called it "dualing sofa's." My grandparents have a cottage on a lake that we visit frequently every summer. Bubba was our lifeguard. Anytime my sister or I would jump in the water, Bubba would come diving in to our rescue. He would always sit on the edge of the dock to ensure our safety. I'm still humbled and blown away by his selflessness.

It is a well-known misconception that dogs are smiling when their mouths are open. Most of the time, they are simply trying to cool off. Bubba on the other hand, actually would smile. It would often look as though he was ready to attack. His lips would curl up and he would have a snarling appearance. His teeth would be clearly visible, and he would always sneeze afterward. If you didn't know what it was he was actually doing, it may be a good idea to want to run for the hills. In actuality, he had such a gentle demeanor. He would also often hug you with his mouth, not to be confused with biting you. It wasn't a hard bite, but rather a soft, "It's good to see you!" kind of grip. Sometimes he would even pull you into the house with his "hug-bite."

Bubba sure did love the lake. He would be in and out of the water hundreds of times throughout the day. It also thrilled him to scare away the geese at the edge of the water. I timed him on several occasions, and he had a personal record of 6.5 seconds to get from the second story of the cottage to the water at the bottom of a long hill.

As people, we are put here on this Earth to learn to love each other and to make differences in others' lives. A comfortingly true theory is that dogs are only here for such a short time because they already know how to love. In fact, that is the only thing they know how to do, but while that is the best thing about them, at the same time, it is also their only imperfection. Dogs give us such endless measures of unconditional love, which makes it so hard to say goodbye.

Name another creature that can teach you so many priceless and timeless lessons as well as love you in a way no one else can without even speaking a single word to you! God must've spent quite a bit of time sculpting these beautiful gifts of joy!

Bubba, I seriously cannot thank you enough for all of the joy and love you brought to me and my family for these last nine years! Thank you for your personality and how you made us laugh on countless occasions with your unbelievable talents. Thank you for all of those treasure hunts we went on to find the remains of our food you left behind scattered around the house when we weren't home! Thank you for keeping us company while we were sleeping and at all hours of the day by never letting us out of your sight. Thank you for comforting us with your huge, infectious smiles and "hugs" after our longer and more tiresome days. Thank you for consistently reaching out to us with your arms, you always knew when we needed you. Thank you for giving us exercise on those "walks" of yours, and for protecting us from danger as well as claiming every single tree as your own, even if you were unable to write your signature, as you would run out of ink halfway through. Thank you for being our lifeguard at the lake, and our security guard at night. Thank you for dualing sofa's with me and keeping my company while I was sick. Thank you for riding with us on trips to the store, and for always taking shotgun! Thank you for always staring at me with those deep, brown eyes of yours, and for always making me feel guilty when I left you at home. I have to apologize, as I talked about walking so frequently, and yet, it didn't happen as much as you deserved. Thank you though for keeping me in check, and for all of those games of tug-of-war with old rags, and my old hats. There are too many things to thank you for, and there's no way I can name them all. Thank you for the good times, I loved them all. Most importantly, thank you for being my best friend, Bubba.