We've all lost our best friend, whether it was disease, an accident, or they were just plain old. We've also all been looked at like we're crazy when we're so torn up about losing them, because they're "just a dog." And then you look at the person who just said that, with tears stinging your eyes, and think "go to hell."
No, they sure as hell were not "just a dog". It has been almost a year since I lost my best friend and I'm still not over it. I still have pictures on my phone and all around my room because I can't bring myself to delete him. And do you know why? Because he wasn't just a dog. No, far from it. That little brat was my entire world.
A dog is more than just a pet, they are companions, they're your best friend, and in a lot of cases, they're the only hope you have. They will do everything and anything for you. No one else will snuggle up with you and let you cry for hours, just patiently waiting for you to be ok. Who else is going to bring you his favorite toy because you're sad and he hates seeing you that way? But he's just a dog, right?
What about when you have your first break up and it feels like the end of the world? You don't want to talk to anyone and you sure as hell can't go in public when you're ugly crying every five seconds. But he's just a dog, right?
How about when you have the flu and feel like your dying? Who else is going to lay on the couch with you and watch crappy TV all day and not complain when you use him as a tissue? Who's going to lick the snot off of your face when your medicine kicks in and you fall asleep? Who's going to be laying right there waiting ever so patiently until you wake up? But he's just a dog, right?
Who's going to be waiting for you to walk back through that door when you come home from college, tail wagging and licking your face because he missed you more than you could ever understand? But you're equally excited to see his face and share your bed with him again. But he's just a dog, right?
Who's going to share your bed with you when you have nightmares? Who's going to protect you from the demons dancing around in your head? Who's going to love you even when you don't know how to love yourself? But who is also going to protect you from those demons that walk the streets? Who else is going to risk his own life to save yours? Because you mean more to him than he does to himself. But he's just a dog, right?
What about the day you leave home and can't take him with you? So you hope to God that Mom is taking care of him, but turns out it was him taking care of her. When you and your mom are all each other has had for a good majority of your life and you have to leave home, you don't realize how much more it affects her than it affects you. But your thankful for your best friend who took care of you all those years is now taking care of her. He's the one making sure she's doing ok and doesn't worry too much about you. He becomes the companion that she needs to remind her of you and he's the one who stops her from calling you every five minutes to make sure your eating, wearing clean clothes, going to class, going to work, not dead somewhere. But he's just a dog, right?
To this day, I still reach under my bed and find his old toys. I still bawl my eyes out. I have stressful days at school and nothing hurts more than knowing you can't go home and cuddle your best friend because he's gone now. He was my best friend, my cuddle buddy, my tissue, my movie buddy, my jogging buddy, my diary, my playmate, my anxiety relievier, my alarm clock, my guard dog. He was everything to me and more. He loved me more than he loved himself and more than I even knew was possible. He knew more of my secrets, heartbreaks and fears than my own mother did. But he's just a dog, right?
We don't deserve dogs. We don't deserve anything that could love us more than we love them. We don't deserve anything that trusts us completely and utterly and even when we hurt them, they still love us. Dogs spend so much time of their lives waiting for their human to come home. But there is no feeling like walking through your front door and your dog jumping on you, licking your face, body shaking, tail wagging, pure excitement.
For someone who never had a dog, you just plain don't understand the bond that is shared between human and animal. And that's ok, I don't hate you or judge you for that. But please, please, please, rethink those words "he was just a dog" because he was so much more than that. He was everything to me for 13 long years. I'm truly sorry if you have never had the love of a dog touch your life yet, but when you do, hold on to the short time you get with them, because in a blink of an eye you'll be lying on the vet office's floor, crying, because you just lost your best friend. But he's just a dog, right?
It's been almost a year without you, Copper, and it still feels like yesterday. I love you, little buddy. I hope you're enjoying all the McDonald's cheeseburgers and french fries up in doggy heaven. Rest easy, bubs.
