How do you even begin to say goodbye to a best friend? It's not that easy. You see, my dog is my best friend; he's there for me when I need him and he loves me. I really don't know what I'd do without him; he's my rock. I go to him when I just need somebody to talk to, and he's there to protect me when I sleep. I got him when I was in 11th grade. He was so small and he had a blue eye and a brown eye. We quickly became really close and I wouldn't really let anybody else play with him. He slept on a purple princess pillow, and eventually he wound up sleeping either behind my legs or at the feet of my bed. He was the friendliest animal in the world. He's not dead or anything, he's just become grumpier with his old age; you know, kind of like anybody would. No matter how bad of a day I have or how upset I am or even if I had a good day, he's always there waiting for me.

His name is Rebel. Rebel is my best friend and he probably always will be. See, the hard part is I go to the school three hours away from my house, which feels like a lifetime away from him. I would really like to bring him to school and I'm not the only one that wants that. There are plenty of people who I go to school with who do not want to bring their pet with them. Like I was saying, my dog provides me comfort and keeps me from having an upset state of mind and keeps away stress. I just don't want to leave him and saying goodbye is the worst thing because, like I said, he's my best friend. He was there when I got the acceptance letters and when I got my first car. He goes with me practically everywhere. He's my baby and I really hate saying goodbye. If somehow I could bring him to school, that would be great. I figure if you have stress and an animal can help you with that stress, why not allow them on campus? Anyway, when it comes to Rebel I will fight tooth and nail for him. I love him and will always want him with me. Sure, he throws me to the side for my mom every now and then but, hey, who doesn't grow tired of a person. He knows when it's time for bed and when it's time to wake me up in the morning to get ready for work. He is very smart: he knows how to open a curtain and look out the window as well as roll the durn window down in the car.

I encourage everyone who has love for an animal to love them and cherish them for all of the time you have with them, because one day they might not be there anymore and you really won't know what to do without them.