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Dogs Are Worth It

Totally Worth It

By Kayla BabbPublished 6 years ago 3 min read
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Jasmine-12 yr. old AmStaff on her walk

Owning a dog has its ups and downs. Late night vet runs, diarrhea cleanups, vomit in your favorite pair of shoes. Not to mention that Fifi ate part of your sweatshirt. Don't even get me started on potty training.

Those moments can be stressful to even the most experienced dog owner. You roll over and there's your dog, staring at you with putrid breath. She's definitely due for a teeth cleaning, gross. Oh, the drool! Spilling her food everywhere, barking at people, growling at the mailman.

But then you look over at her when everything is calm and she's just looking at you. Just so thankful that she's got a home and someone who loves her to care for her. You can't help but start tearing up a bit. You grab her favorite tennis ball, which has seen better days, and you go out and play some fetch together. Even if that fetch is just you throwing the ball once and then chasing her around the yard trying to get the ball back.

She's scared because there's a storm outside and she finds the loud thunder scary. So you build a blanket fort and hide under it with her in your arms until the storm passes. You both end up falling asleep, holding each other. It's times like those that make all the heartache worth it.

Having the opportunity to be able to take her on her walks, knowing they make her happy. Covering her up when she's cold, putting a fan on her when she gets hot. Letting her hang her head out the window on car rides and letting her swim at the beach.

Then she starts getting a bit older and a tad slower. She's still more than willing to play some form of fetch and going to the beach and taking long walks. She's still afraid of storms and eats things she shouldn't. Now she chases the neighbor's cat.

One day, she's gray and in pain. She doesn't chase the cat anymore, bark at people, growl at the mailman. She's deaf, so storms no longer scare her. Her tennis ball hasn't moved in a month and you have to force her to go for a walk. She no longer spills her food or eats things she shouldn't, she doesn't eat at all these days. You still see that thankfulness and love in her eyes, but that spark that made her is gone.

Now she's at the vet, sedated. You hold her paw and tell her that you love her so much. She sighs deeply, then closes her eyes. She's gone, off to play fetch over the rainbow bridge with her favorite ball. You bury her in the backyard, under her favorite shade tree. You grieve, thinking you'll never be over her. You aren't over her, but you move on. You get another puppy.

Why? Because dogs are worth it. Dogs are worth the pain and heartache, worth the late night vet runs. The spilled food, drool, bad breath. They are worth the holes in your sweatshirt and vomit in your favorite shoes. Cherish and be patient with them, because dogs are worth it.

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About the Creator

Kayla Babb

I love animals. I am a pet parent of two dogs and two cats. Jasmine is 12, Sukki is 9, Nova is 8, Sheila is 7 years. We live in Kentucky.

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