Has anyone ever told you that the best friend any one could ever have is a dog? How possible is it for you to bypass your classmates in school, your next-door neighbours, your friends in Sunday school class and the good number of people you come across everyday and make your choice of a best friend a dog – a four legged creature that wags its tail and barks?
I had my first dog when I was about nine years old. It was a puppy given to me as a present by my uncle and I named him Alex. Alex was a friendly and likeable dog. We went everywhere together and it was easy to call him my best friend. I even spoke with my dog and it understood me much to the surprise and delight of my friends who always marveled at the closeness I shared with my pet. The first time I had to part from Alex was when I was to resume secondary school in a boarding house. At the time, if only I had been permitted, I would gladly have taken Alex with me.
Life as a boarding house student ensured that I only saw Alex at the end of every term which was a most difficult ordeal. Over time, I adjusted to the situation and I always looked forward to reuniting with my dog and such periods were always picture-perfect moments as Alex would bark and wag its tail excitedly on seeing me. Once, my parents surprised me by bringing my dog along when they came to visit me in school. The years went by and as I grew into a teenager, so did Alex mature into an adult dog. However, it appeared he grew much faster than I did. By the time I was sixteen, Alex was constantly falling ill and could hardly run and play the way we used to and it was hard to accept that my dog was gradually getting closer to the end of its life as I came to learn. Alex died a few days after to my seventeenth birthday and it felt as though I had lost a good part of my existence. It took a good while for me to recover from my dog’s passing and sometimes I still feel tears cling to the corners of my eyes when I remember Alex. I have since had more pets but none has affected me the way Alex had. Alex remains my best friend ever.
Dogs are wonderful creatures and it is indeed a great pleasure to own a dog as a pet. This animal could be the most wonderful creature ever, especially in the hands of its owner. It is often said that a dog has nothing to give but its love and I agree with this thought. Watching your dog wag its tail excitedly on sighting you and constantly licking your hands or parts of your body go a long way to show how much love these creatures have in their hearts. As love is a natural force that tends to replicate itself in reciprocal forms, it is hardly surprising to see that dog owners soon find themselves emotionally attached to their pets. This is usually demonstrated in acts of love and tenderness such as feeding the dog, bathing it and ensuring it is in good health. In fact, some dog owners unconsciously tend to take care of their dogs better than themselves. A most unique characteristic of dogs is their trusting and sacrificial nature. A dog would readily give its life to protect its owner.
This bond between a dog and its owner usually gets stronger as time elapses. The strongest bond is usually between children or teenagers and their dogs. The heart of a child is naturally very large and trusting and this makes it easier for the formation of a seemingly unbreakable bond between a child and his dog. With time’s passage, the bond becomes stronger especially when the child and the dog practically grow together. However, it is worth knowing the growth of a dog and that of a child differ significantly. A dog year is compared with seven human years. Thus, a one-year old dog is about seven years old in human parlance and a three year old dog can be compared with a twenty-one year old human. An average dog has a life span of about ten to twelve years, although there are exceptions in some cases. For example, the world’s oldest dog is said to be about twenty nine years old!
With this bond between child and dog, how does the child cope with the loss of this favourite pet? It is usually a tough situation to deal with especially if there had hitherto been a strong attachment between both of them. Losing your dog could almost feel like losing a close relative. It usually takes a good while to get over such a loss.
