The Dog As A Best Friend - Essay Example

The Dog As A Best Friend Today, many people have pets, especially dogs, which are quite popular all over the world because of their loyalty and usefulness for the human beings. Moreover, in our society, dogs play a significant role in our daily lives, not only as pets but also as Seeing Eye Dogs, police dogs, and in many other aspects. I believe that having dogs has influenced me greatly and changed my life completely. Even though I used to think that dogs were like stuffed animals in my childhood, with the passage of time I realized that they are not as such but living beings, and are almost the same as humans. My perception changed when I came across a dog that took my attention immediately. Sometimes your best friend can be a person, but for me, my best friend was my dog. When I was a child, I had a dog named “White.” It was a typical Japanese dog. The dog was a female with silky white hair and brown eyes. The first time I met her, it was a very cold winter day in Japan, when most people wore thick coats and gloves on their hands. In fact, she was a stray dog walking on the streets. From the first time I saw her, I wanted to welcome her to my home as a valuable member of my family. However, my mother was strongly opposed to having the dog, because I had an allergy to animals. Also, my father disliked dogs due to his horrifying past experience in which he was chased and had been bitten by dogs. Despite their objections, I was determined to have the dog at all costs. Therefore, I pleaded with my mother to keep the dog for weeks. I said to her, “the dog will die…die. It will freeze to death without our help.” During this time of pleading, I would furtively go outside to give milk and pieces of bread to this stray dog. Finally, I persuaded my parents to keep the dog. I was very happy, because I was able to hold “White” and bring her to my home. “White” inspired great enthusiasm in our family from the first day. Her silky white hair, brown eyes, shy nature and unpredictable activities brought cheer within our lives. Also, “White” was an inseparable part of my life. Sometimes, her running around alongside me was annoying to the point of irritation! She always slept by the side of my bed, and she ate food with me. In addition, she carefully watched as I dressed and got ready for school. She saw me off at the bus stop as my friends were eager to say hello to her each morning. Surprisingly, at 3 p.m. everyday, she was again at the gate to welcome me home. One day, my parents told me that she became restless when the bus arrived late by several minutes and watched anxiously in the direction from which the bus would speed in. On seeing it at the far end of the road, she leapt into the air to express her joy! Indeed this was a very happy feeling that I had by getting to know what “White” thought about me in her mind and what kind of joyfulness is residing within her at the sight of my personality. When I was a high school student, my elder brother and I went on a trip to the countryside, to a location about 100 kilometers from our city, Tokyo. Though we were excited, the thought that I would be missing the company of “White” for such a long time, bothered me immensely. Five days before my departure, my father bought a new car, telling me, “this car is your birthday gift.” At once, I took a few trial runs of the car on the streets around my house and “White” suddenly jumped into the passenger seat of my car. Furthermore, she seemed to welcome my ownership rights on this car. In those couple of test drives, “White” got more and more comfortable taking rides with me. When retuning from the trip, as I neared my house, the first thing which I expected was the welcome greeted by “White” that would be waiting for me. However, my lovely “White” was not there. “Where is “White”? Where are father and mother? Have all of them gone shopping?” I asked my younger sister. “Mom and Dad are sitting in the drawing room!” she said grimly and began to cry. I ran in the direction of the house like a rabbit, and landed in the drawing room, gasping. My mother and father embraced me….mother said very weakly, “….and your “White” is resting forever!” I literally grabbed my sister by the collar and asked, “Tell me…tell me, what happened to “White”!” Finally, my mother began to speak about the details. “That day, “White” escaped from the house. We tried to hold her, but she went to the main street. At that moment, she was hit by a car and we ran up to her. Unfortunately, she had already died with no chance of receiving any medical care.” That night, I continued to cry without eating any food all day long, and said to myself over and over, “if I had been there, I could have helped her…helped her. I should have gone for a drive with her in my new car.” The mere feeling of “White” not being with me has broken me inside out. I stopped thinking about things that were important to me at the time, such was the irony that engulfed my mind and heart. The loss of my best friend “White” is an unacceptable and unpredictable reality in my life. Also, sometimes I feel as if she were still alive somewhere and would appear in front of me unexpectedly. The useful and enjoyable time with her helped me become a more mature person. I believe that in the course of having a dog, I was able to increase my individual value throughout the loyalty and the unconditional love of my pet. I hope that I can cope with difficulties by making use of my experience with my best friend. Read More