Dogs will never fail to love you or be by your side when you are going through hard times. They never question the way you act after a long day, and don’t care about your appearance, popularity, or money. The hard part of this unconditional love is that it only lasts for a portion of your life.
Dogs live about 10 years, which is a decade of your life. In the large outlook of life, a decade seems almost insignificant, but a person evolves so much in the matter of ten years. Dogs spend their entire short life span understanding their owners, and how they are during their “home life”. They are basically a family member, and as humans grow and change with them, it makes it hard to let go. Losing a pet is like losing a family member in many ways because humans have to grieve the fact that their silent support system is no longer by their side.
Thinking back to my first dog, my family got him when I was five years old. He was my best friend and always protected me. When he died at eight years old, I was in eighth grade and it destroyed me. It was my first time experiencing grief, so it was difficult for me to come home from school and not be greeted by my tail-wagging buddy. As time passed, I moved on from his death, but I will never forget my childhood dog. He was a part of my memory for as long as I can remember, but I know he remembers every detail since I was four years old. Although he lived a short life, I am so glad he got to watch both me and my brother grow up.
Freshman year, we got my second dog and it put into perspective for me that each dog would get to experience an entirely different me. My current dog will experience both my brother and I leaving home to go to college, and I know I treat this dog completely differently than how my five year old self treated my childhood dog. Many high school students understand the pain of leaving a dog or pet behind when they go to college. The pain of not being able to always have them to look to makes living away from home even harder. I know next year I will miss my dog’s crazy greetings when I get done with a long day of classes. The saddest part is that my dog’s short life span will be winding down as I finish my college education. By the time I return home after schooling, his decade will be ending, but a new decade in my life will begin.
Dogs get to be a part of every high and low of your life for a short period of time, but that’s what makes having them so special. They remind us to live in the present moment and forgive quickly. The devastating grief of losing a pet is worth it in the long run for the countless smiles and comfort they brought to humans’ lives. Although dogs are only here for a small part of our lives, their humans are their entire world. Every chewed up shoe, throw-up incident, and going to the bathroom in the house is worth the unconditional love that you can truly only receive from your dog.
Dogs will never fail to love you or be by your side when you are going through hard times. They never question the way you act after a long day, and don’t care about your appearance, popularity, or money. The hard part of this unconditional love is that it only lasts for a portion of your life.
Dogs live about 10 years, which is a decade of your life. In the large outlook of life, a decade seems almost insignificant, but a person evolves so much in the matter of ten years. Dogs spend their entire short life span understanding their owners, and how they are during their “home life”. They are basically a family member, and as humans grow and change with them, it makes it hard to let go. Losing a pet is like losing a family member in many ways because humans have to grieve the fact that their silent support system is no longer by their side.
Thinking back to my first dog, my family got him when I was five years old. He was my best friend and always protected me. When he died at eight years old, I was in eighth grade and it destroyed me. It was my first time experiencing grief, so it was difficult for me to come home from school and not be greeted by my tail-wagging buddy. As time passed, I moved on from his death, but I will never forget my childhood dog. He was a part of my memory for as long as I can remember, but I know he remembers every detail since I was four years old. Although he lived a short life, I am so glad he got to watch both me and my brother grow up.
Freshman year, we got my second dog and it put into perspective for me that each dog would get to experience an entirely different me. My current dog will experience both my brother and I leaving home to go to college, and I know I treat this dog completely differently than how my five year old self treated my childhood dog. Many high school students understand the pain of leaving a dog or pet behind when they go to college. The pain of not being able to always have them to look to makes living away from home even harder. I know next year I will miss my dog’s crazy greetings when I get done with a long day of classes. The saddest part is that my dog’s short life span will be winding down as I finish my college education. By the time I return home after schooling, his decade will be ending, but a new decade in my life will begin.
Dogs get to be a part of every high and low of your life for a short period of time, but that’s what makes having them so special. They remind us to live in the present moment and forgive quickly. The devastating grief of losing a pet is worth it in the long run for the countless smiles and comfort they brought to humans’ lives. Although dogs are only here for a small part of our lives, their humans are their entire world. Every chewed up shoe, throw-up incident, and going to the bathroom in the house is worth the unconditional love that you can truly only receive from your dog.
