The first time i met you I was afraid.

It was in the late afternoon and I was at a house I had never been to before in the middle of a town I had never been to before as well. To be fair, I was hesitant with meeting anyone for the first time, but I was especially nervous to meet you.The first time I had an experience with someone similar to you I was 7 years old and I was frightened. This individual was so yappy and ran up to me. I thought he wanted me to play with him but he ended up sinking his small teeth on my arm and later began to tug at my pant leg.

At this point in the story I hope you realize that I am talking about dogs and not an actual person, although sometimes I wish Callie was a human so she could still be by my side.

So anyways, the initial moments of my first experience with you was awkward as I had never really pet a dog in my life and I had definitely never had any pets at all before (minus a beta fish that died in 2 weeks).

However, I quickly discovered that you were the definition of the dog that everyone would fall in love with immediately. Thank you for helping me to overcome my silly fear of furry animals and for always laying down and farting in my face when you sensed I didn't feel so well. I mean if you farted less, it would have made me happier, but your company did the trick anyways. When we first met I was in awe when I saw you running around such a large open space thinking you could take down a deer (I'm from Brooklyn, so 2 acres is incredibly spacious).

I still can't believe that I spent nearly 8 years of my life with you.

I thought that I could accept it when your health started to decline, but I don't think I did. It broke my heart when you fell down the stairs and could no longer get up. When your vision went, your hearing did too. That made me question everything as I knew that you had lived such a great life and the one that you lived in your last moments wasn't as fulfilling. I think the problem was that I never wanted you to leave because you made me so happy. Your innocence and your one very droopy ear (as a result of a fight with another dog) were characteristics of you that I never want to forget.

I hope I made you feel safe and comfortable in the same way I felt when I was with you. Thank you for participating in one last small photoshoot before you left. The iPhone X is really high quality. I hope you were okay with panera and five guys as your last meal, even though you didn't like the fries.

Thank you for the best 8 years, Callie Calhoun (unfortunately you have the namesake of a senator that I never liked, good thing you weren't pro-slavery and into secession like John C. Calhoun was).