When I was little, my sisters and I would constantly nag my parents about getting a dog. The answer was always no, until my dad came home one day trying to convince my mom to at least meet a dog he met while on a stop at work. My mom finally agreed, and we went to meet Bella, a Pug-Dauschand mix who was rescued from Hurricane Katrina. We were all immediately hooked. Finally, after years of begging, we would be getting a dog.
As if that wasn’t already a victory in itself, just a couple years ago a lot of my mom’s co-workers started to get puppies at the same time. One of her co-workers told my mom that the people she got her puppy from still had one left to sell. For some still unknown reason my mom came home begging my dad to let us get another dog, this time a puppy. I’m not sure why, but my dad agreed. We then adopted Lucee, a Corgi-Terrier-Chihuahua who was only three months old.
As of now, we have had Bella for 10 years and Lucee for almost 2. While there are times that my dogs have driven me crazy or given me headaches from barking at the mailman, I wouldn’t trade them for the world. My dogs are my best friends. Whether I’m stressed with too much school work, going through a rough patch with my family or friends or anything in between, they always know just how to make me smile and make all the pain go away. Maybe it’s their wet puppy kisses or their tails wagging a hundred miles a minute when you walk through the door after they’ve been anticipating your arrival. Whatever it is, dogs always know how to lift your spirits.
Whenever I have to leave my dogs behind while I go on vacations or just day trips where I don’t see them all day, I miss them terribly. It’s not the same waking up in the middle of your bed without your puppy between your legs and your dog laying so close to you that you feel like you’re suffocating. Even though I hate leaving them home, the ecstatic greeting we all get when we get back makes it feel so much better. Nothing beats getting clawed and licked so much because your dogs are so excited to see you.
People who don’t understand how much dogs mean to their owners and how much they do for us have probably never had a dog. Dogs of any breed, color, shape or size are all lovable in their own ways and they really are man’s (or woman’s) best friend. I’m so glad my parents came around and let us get not only one but two dogs to bring into our family. My life has changed so much because I have two of the best dogs in the world. My favorite part about them is that they always let me take pictures when no one else will.
