I feel bad for anyone who has grown up without a pet in their life- specifically, a dog. I don't know as I'd have grown the way I did and learned how I did without my dogs at my side.

Since I was young we've always had at least one dog in our house. When I was two we brought home a tiny runt of a Boston Terrier. Sophia was her name. A few years later we adopted a German Shepherd, Abby, from another family. These two were my best friends and teachers as a young girl.

Soph was a calm little girl. She was always down to sit in the chair with you all day and watch TV. When I was young and without a friend, she is who I would go to to share my secrets and stories. She was a great listener.

Abby was large and protective. I've never felt more safe with a dog than I felt with her. She always made me laugh when my brother and I would rough-house because she'd bark at him and stand between us, not wanting him to antagonize me anymore.

So many people view dogs as only companions, but there's so much to learn from them. From Abby I learned the feeling of comfort that came from fierce loyalty. She would have protected us from anything; she was always the first to the door when a visitor arrived and last to move away, when we'd tell her it was okay. Loyalty is, to me, one of the most essential characteristics a person can have. I give credit to Abby, from learning from her as I grew, for why I have such a fierce loyalty to my friends; she was my most loyal best friend and I want to provide that to others. From Soph I learned the calmness of love. Soph never left any of our sides, ever. That dog had a heart bigger than any person I've yet to meet. She was always jumpy and happy when greeting us at home and the first to run to the car and claim a spot when we were all leaving. She slept at the bottom of our beds at night and, as I said, always knew her place was beside us as we sat in the living room watching TV.

From them I also learned the importance of understanding and respecting the needs of those I couldn't truly communicate with and understand. It didn't matter that they weren't human, that they couldn't speak or reason, they were part of the family. When they needed something it was as much of a priority as something I needed. They'd go out to the dog run in the morning before we went to tend to our morning routine and they ate dinner when we did. No one was more important in our household.

I also learned the preciousness of every living thing's life. When it came time to put them down I felt a piece of me was lost. There's nothing like that feeling. I have learned that dog's are too good to have such short lives, and thus I figured out that life simply isn't fair. I know now to cherish every moment I have with who and what I've got because tomorrow it could simply be gone.

The experience of growing up with a dog is like no other. There's so much to teach them and to be taught by them. They're the best friends anyone could dream to have; so loyal, so loving, so grand.