If any of you read my article a few weeks back about how a dog saved my life, you'll understand that my pets mean absolutely everything to me. Pets are part of our family and should be treated as so. With that said, I was a little taken back the other day at the vet when they were surprised how much money I was ready to spend on my newly adopted dog.

My new pal, Brody, has a skin condition that we have not quite figured out just yet. This poor guy has sores and rashes all over his body, mainly on his nose and belly. He has had this since I first met him back at the shelter, but that did not drive me away at all. If anything, it made me fall in love more with him because I hated seeing him that way and clearly uncomfortable nonstop with all the sores. So, I did exactly what the shelter was waiting weeks for; I adopted him without a second thought.

I have had him few just about two weeks, give or take, and his skin seems to have taken two steps forward and then sadly, two or three steps back. I took him to the vet the other day, willing to try whatever, to make him feel better. After his examination, the veterinarian told me that I had a few options, none of which were on the cheaper side for a solution. Naturally, I gave them the "A-Okay" to run all the tests and step up his medication to battle this head on.

To my surprise, they gave me a strange look. "Are you sure? You just got him, are you sure you want to spend all of this money on him?" Now don't get me wrong, I actually really liked this animal hospital. Everyone there was very friendly and nice and clearly knew what they were doing. However, I was shocked that they even asked me this. I don't know about you, or anyone else for that matter, but I would do whatever, whenever, however, it takes to get Brody or any of my pets feeling better no matter the cost. Thats who I am and that is how my family was with our past pets.

A little back story about us as a family with our pets to give you an idea. Our last dog, Jessie, was rescued by a shelter after her previous owners were arrested for abuse. We adopted her just weeks after her surgery that repaired her hip and I believe femur because those owners beat her and from what we think, threw her down stairs regularly. At only four months old, she was terrified when we got her but she was the sweetest thing ever. We spent tons of time and money to get Jessie social and healthy. No corners were cut, and none will be in the future for any of my pets.

Now, back to my trip to the vet.

So I kept telling them to do it and they just smiled and went on with scheduling to bring him back for more. Even the vets there realized that Brody was not just any other dog. In the few hours that he was at this vet, each and every single person that came in contact with him fell in love. The doctor kept saying one thing to me each time she walked by and saw him. "He's the best person that we've seen." That made me smile each and every single time for a couple reasons.

First off, that means he was well behaved, which I was not worried about one bit. Brody is very low key and sleeps around most of the day, which I think has something to do with him not feeling well. But yeah, so that's a positive and I am glad he didn't cause any issues for anyone.

Second, the vets and nurses at this veterinarian hospital saw animals the way I see them. They people, a part of the family, not just animals or pets. This is why I will continue to go back to this clinic when I am up at school. They know that Brody is now part of who I am. That is partly why I was a little shocked when they asked if I was ready to spend X amount of money on him already.

Regardless of all of that, the main point that I am trying to get across is that our pets are not really pets. They are family. They are who we are. If you have a pet, you know what I am talking about. If you don't, when you get one you will understand. I think it is pretty clear to say that any pet owner feels incomplete when their dog, cat, or even lizard, is not by their side at all times.