We do not deserve dogs. Dogs are loving, kind, and pure. Dogs do not care what you do or who you are, they just love you. A dog will love you for their entire life and always share that love as much as they can.
Dogs are not sexist, racist, or homophobic. Dogs do not know hate (well maybe in terms of squirrels, cars or cats), they only know love. Dogs do not give anyone any more or less love. Dogs just love in the most pure way possible.
I've been enamored with dogs for as long as I can remember. I remember begging for a dog multiple times for two years at least. I would play with my friend's dogs and my aunt's dogs. I read multiple books about dogs and learned about all the different breeds. There was one book, ABC Dogs, that I checked out of my elementary school's library and ended up having to buy it from them because I wore it out. I read every issue of Dog Fancy that I could get my hands on. After about a year or so of begging, my parents finally considered it. They didn't want a small, yippy dog though; it had to be a big dog. Specifically, a German Shepherd. My dad had grown up with one and my parents felt it was a good choice. So we started visiting breeders and it started to become real. We were getting a dog for real. I got super excited, until the dog had a false pregnancy. I was sad, but my parents assured me that we would still get a dog. About a month or so later, they told us that they had found a breeder who would have puppies for us at the end of August. The breeder was far away, but we were getting our puppy. The last weekend of August, we loaded up our car, drove 3 and a half hours, and went to get our dog. We made a road trip out of it, going to a nearby amusement park the day beforehand. At long last, we were getting our puppy. Even though it's been 13 years, I still remember pulling up and seeing all the puppies. We got the one with the most easygoing temperament and named her Schatzi.
Schatzi as a puppy
Schatzi grew up with me. I used to get up early to walk her with my mom before school every day. When we got to the end of our street, we'd do tricks together. She was very good at all the different tricks I'd have her do. We used to dress her up at Halloween and she hated it.
We would play fetch with her, run around the backyard, and even use the fur she would shed to scare off the deer that loved to eat my mother's flowers. We had a line in the backyard set up so she could be outside without needing a person. She would bark so much that Animal Control would leave notes taped to our front door. When we would have to take her to the kennel to go on vacation I would always get excited to pick her back up. She was a sweet girl.
I knew that she would get older, and I tried to not pay attention to it. For a while, it was easy to ignore it. She was healthy and still loved to play. But as time went on, it became harder and harder to ignore. She started running slower and spending more time laying down. Pretty soon she stopped running at all. She would still play and bark, but it was clear she was getting old. The first time I thought she might die was last summer. Our two other dogs had brought a parasite into the house, and it hit her the worst. She was throwing up all the time and refusing to eat. Thankfully she got better but it was still scary. She got better, but she was not the same. She kept getting weaker and weaker. When I saw her at Christmas, she was barely able to walk. She had a hard time getting up and didn't want to go outside. Still, I had faith in her. Until a few days ago.
On January 14th, I called my mom for the first time in a week. I asked about the dogs, and she told me it was not looking good. Schatzi would not get up or eat or anything anymore. January 15th I woke up to my mother asking me to call her. She told me that it was time. After 13 years of love and companionship, my sweet Schatzi dog had to go.
I knew that it was coming for a while. She was in pain and she was tired. I even made jokes that she was waiting for the sweet release of death. Still, nothing hurt more than when I heard it. Schatzi grew up with me. She would wait for me at the bus stop in elementary school and greet me when I returned home in middle and high school. I would chase her around the yard all the time. She was my dog and I loved her so much.
Nothing compares to the love of a dog. A dog loves you for their entire life. They become a part of your family. This goes out to Schatzi, my sweet childhood dog. I hope in dog heaven you can bark as much as you want.
