To My Dog

Dog. I know you don’t remember when we met, you were too young. I needed gas , back when I thought $3.10 was a lot per gallon, and you where with a homeless man who was shoeless, sitting on a five gallon bucket . He had a cardboard sign, but not one daring me to hit him with a quarter, or asking for anything, instead his sign said “pit bull puppy’s”. I stopped and he had only you. “$200?” Said the man. I searched my pocket and found only 4 twenties. Your blue eyes pleaded at me, they have since turned gold. “I’ll give you $80, and you can forget about this dog for good.” He handed you to me and I paid him. We listened to rock and roll as you sat nervously on my lap on the ride home. As I sang the songs on the radio you started to loosen up, you still love it when I sing to you. I named you from one of those many songs that played as we drove home sealing our fate together as best friends for the remanding years of your life. Selfishly sometimes I wish it were for the remaining years of mine.

Thank you dog, for everything. Even as I write this now you snore on the couch next to me and dream, of what I can’t be sure, but you whimper a bit and twitch your leg. I stop writing to wake you up, pat your head and pet your soft fur. You wag your tail, so grateful to be out of that bad dream , already forgetting what it was, and happy to be with me, your friend. I never get to wake up from my dream, but I can shape it a little bit more each day, and when that dream gets dark and scary my furry friend will repay this favor and help me forget.

It hasn’t always been good. You’ve embarrassed me countless times, you are an infinite source of mess and yet I need you. How many times have you saved me? When all I’ve saved you is detailed above. You where with me when I was still a kid, and now I’m a man. Soon my wife and I will have our own kid, and for that I’m excited and scared. I watch you mother your toys instead of destroy them and know that you will be with us to help. My sweet dog, who licks up tears and brings back my smile. I have no right to ask you, after you’ve done so much for me, but when we have our child be there for them like you’ve always been for me. I pray you are with us long enough that my kids remember you, remember your funny waddle and your grumpy ways. One day when the kids are older we will laugh and reminisce about you, smiling in our memories. And I realize maybe it’s not selfish to wish you where here with me for the remainder of years, because after all we have been through and all we have yet to live I know I will always remember you when I need a smile.

Now your whining, I suppose I should feed you. Maybe after a hug and some more pets. “What a good girl, what a good dog.” I tell you. You wag your tail and I find that I am smiling. My wife comes over and she pets you too. Her smile is so beautiful. We are a family in motion, growing, expanding, learning together. “What a sweet girl”. Says my wife, as if she was thinking everything I just wrote. We give you one final pat, everyone is happy, you wag your tail shaking half your body. We laugh at how cute you are and this becomes one of my favorite memories of how simple and hopeful life can be.