When I was six-years-old, I came home on September 28th, my birthday, to find the sweetest little Dachshund laying on the old oriental rug in my living room.

My mom had just surprised me with Jessie, a rescue from the humane society, who stole my heart immediately. She was the sweetest and most sensitive puppy I had ever seen, and I felt so proud that my mom had trusted me to "take care" of her.

Because of her history before the humane society, Jessie had a broken hip that had never healed properly. They told us that they suspected abuse, and estimated that she was only two-years-old.

About two years after I got Jessie, she began to get sick. She lost control of her back legs and eventually became paralyzed. Shortly after this we had to put her down because she couldn't walk, and her quality of life was dramatically worse.

She was the perfect puppy, so tiny and sweet. She made me fall in love with dogs, even though it hurt so badly to lose her at the time.

Now, many years have passed and I just got a new puppy, Faye. She is an American Eskimo and she is just as precious and sweet as Jessie. She has become my constant companion, and I rarely go anywhere without her.

There is a peace of mind that I get from this constant companionship, and having Faye has drastically helped to soothe the anxiety that I often have from day to day. Having her in my life to share every moment from doing homework with her cuddled up next to me to walks in the park with her by my side.

I used to be skeptical of the idea of an emotional support dog, because I had no clue of the effects that they could have. Now, having my own pup has changed my outlook on that completely.

The simplicity of the need we all have for companionship is enough reason alone to adopt a sweet little friend.