Being an only child often gets lonely. When I was little, I always wanted to have an older brother or sister. That never happened, but I did grow up with pets. I never realized it until much more recently, but pets often become like siblings. For me, each dog that I have had has been like a sibling to me. And I think that dogs make pretty good siblings. A dog is always there. They will never steal the clothes from your closet, they will never get angry and not talk to you, and they will never tattle tale on you to Mom and Dad. They will always be happy to see you when you get home from school. They will always be grateful when you share your snacks with them. They will always be there for a hug after a long day.
When I was learning to crawl and walk I would go over to the dog and use him as a stool to help stand up. When I was a toddler, I didn’t have a brother or sister to pick on so instead I would ride around on the dogs back or tug on his long ears or crawl all over him like a jungle gym.
In fourth grade, I would do my nightly reading aloud to the dog. The dog would lay there and listen (and sometimes sleep) and never made a judgement about my reading skills or the content of the story.
In middle and high school I would play soccer and lacrosse with the dog for hours on end. She would sit and watch me throw or kick the ball against the pitch back net over and over and over, and wait for the one time I missed it so she could go fetch it. She never got tired of it and loved the sports I played just as much as I did.
But the point where I really realized the dog was more like a sibling than a dog, was when I went off to college. In college, the dog has become the thing I miss most while away at school. I oftentimes find myself calling or texting home just to ask how the dog is and what funny things she has been up to today. I actually miss being called by the dog’s name. And now that I am away at college I have realized my parents spend almost as much money on the dog as they do on me. Although the dog doesn’t need a college education, she does need puppy school, she needs to be pampered and groomed (my dog gets groomed three times as much as I get my hair cut), she has to have someplace nice to stay when you go away on vacation, she needs toys to play with, treats to have every time she comes inside and sometimes even a special treat from the grocery store.
But with all this being said, I wouldn’t trade my ball of fuzzy fur sibling for anything in the world. So thanks, Mom and Dad, for getting me a sister even if she is a dog.
