My professor this year asked an interesting question on the first day of class. He said do you think your animals love you? Or do you think they just act the way they do because they know you give them attention and treats when they do good things? I thought about it for the rest of class and could honestly say yes, I know my animals love me.

You can’t deny it is love when your dog comes and cuddles with you while your sleeping, or when they jump up and down when you finally get home from work or school. I am convinced my dog knows who I am because whenever I get home from college for a vacation, my dog lights up to see me.

I know some people don’t connect with their pets, and they are just a dog or a cat to them, but my animals were part of my family. I could not imagine my childhood growing up without all three of them. Every single time I had to say goodbye it was three of the saddest days of my life. It never gets easier to say goodbye and they have all made me so compassionate towards animals.

I don’t know what kind of person I would be without every animal I ever grew up with. Every animal that I have ever had has had a very different effect on me. They have made me so incredibly passionate about animals and they have made me love animals so much that I can’t see a dog on the side of the road and not smile.

Being away at college without my dog has been harder than I thought it would ever be. I look forward to every time I FaceTime my mom and dad so I get to see her too. I take an obsessive amount of pictures of her, and every time I see I dog on campus I literally cannot contain my smile.

I can attribute this to all my past animals who have passed on. Two of the best dogs that have ever graced the Earth and the sweetest cat I have ever met. These animals have done nothing but positive things for me and I am so lucky to have had them in my life as I grew up.

I will always remember the days they were there for me when I did not want to talk to anyone else. Animals always are there to listen, because let’s be real they are the only thing you can talk to and complain and they won’t get annoyed with you.

I will never forget the days I had to say goodbye to each and every one of them. It was a day that rocked me and my family but we always knew that they were in a better place and were not suffering anymore.

Animals really do become part of a family. They are the most loyal things you’ll ever have in your life and they will never turn their back on you. I can’t thank my past animals enough for the things they taught me while they were on this Earth. I also can’t wait to meet all the animals who have yet to enter into my life.