I don't know what prompted me to think of this and I certainly cannot tell you why, but for the past week an old friend of mine has been on my mind. I have gone to bed thinking about her silly behavior, soft ears, cool nose and curly, uncontrollable tail. I am of course speaking of my first dog, Hershey.
A pet isn't just something you feed and take for walks; it is a companion, a friend, a loyal and constant family member. This past week marked the 2-year anniversary of Hershey's death. In order to keep my mind on track, I'm going to take you back...
I had been bothering my parents for a full year about getting a dog. I was in the second grade and I would constantly check out the "Encyclopedia of Dogs" book from my library at school to look up which dog I wanted the most. I did this for the entire year...I read that book from cover to cover. I also volunteered at the humane society whenever my mom could take me...I loved dogs. Finally, after my brother was bit by a neighborhood dog, my dad decided that we could get a dog. (My dad certainly wasn't going to have a child afraid of dogs...so we went to the humane society).
I remember the excitement, the anticipation, the lack of sleep the night before we went to find our new family member. When we got to the humane society, I went straight for this big, white and tan spotted 3-year-old dog. It was really ugly, but I wanted it...I walked her, played with her and was entranced by her. Alas, my parents wanted a puppy so I had to leave my ugly duckling of a dog in her cage to view the puppies. I remember seeing a small, brown ball of fluff with three other balls of of fluff sharing a cage with her. She was a chocolate lab/dalmatian mix. The deciding factor of which puppy to chose, was my brother going into the cage with the four crazy pups and this brown one came up to him and laid in his lap...my dad knew that this was the dog for us. The next day we returned to the shelter and brought home our bundle of joy...we named her Hershey because she's a chocolate lab...creative, right? :)
Hershey had a knack of knowing when we needed her most...when we would cry, be sick or just lonely, she knew when to come over and put her head on our laps...she was so dumb at times, but other times she would sit at our feet and not move until she knew we would be OK. She was my loyal companion and best friend for 13 years. One week before I left for my junior year of college, Hershey suffered a massive stroke/seizure. It was the scariest thing I ever witnessed...I watched her seize and knew I couldn't do anything. When she came out of the seizure, she didn't recognize any of us, barked at us, could hardly walk and wasn't interested in eating. After about six hours, she regained her memory and everything seemed alright. My dad prepared us though...he continually said things like, "dogs don't live forever" and "she's 13, guys...she's lived a long life."
The night I moved into my apartment and prepared myself for school, Hershey had another seizure. This time, so I'm told, it left her paralyzed from the neck down. She couldn't move and my poor mother and brother were stuck making the decision of what to do with her. After another night of her immobility, my parents decided to put her down...they couldn't do anything for her and knew she was in pain. I feel so blessed that my last memory of her is when she was "healthy". I remember not sleeping at all the night before...I remember my roommate being so supportive and loving; she read me Bible passages. But on September 19th, 2008 my best friend left this world. My dad called me at 8am and told me she was gone...after 13 years of her helping me, I couldn't help her.
For about four months after she passed, I couldn't look at dogs. If I saw one walking down the street, I would start crying...it was the hardest thing. As the 2-year anniversary of her death passes, I can only remember her and her silliness, her kindness and her love. Pets aren't just things you feed and walk; they are friends, family members and loyal companions who are there for you no matter what. I miss you, Hershey and love you so much...thank you for all you gave to me, expecting nothing in return except a pat on the head or a dog bone.
***Sorry this is such a depressing update...I'll try to be more upbeat next time.***
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