Have You Ever Had a Pet That Affected Your Life In a Significant Way?

When I was little, we had a basset hound who we called Doodie. I'm not sure why we called her Doodie, but she was old and contrary and I never really had much of a bond with her. However, when I was approaching my third birthday, my parents thought it would be a good time to get me a dog and so they decided on a poodle. Poodles are hypoallergenic, smart, pretty, and fun for a little girl to have and so I was ecstatic. We got my poodle from a breeder in New Orleans and my parents and I ended up choosing the smallest girl in the mix. She was a black standard poodle puppy who we named Roxie.

Roxie has been one of my best friends, if not my best, since my third birthday. She sat with me on the hour long ride home and drooled all over me because she is terrified of car rides. She is also terrified of thunderstorms and so I have always laid with and comforted her during those two things. She does the same for me. Though a lot of things have changed in my life since then, Roxie has been a constant. We now have three other pets and I love all of them too, but not in the constant way that I love Roxie. We grew up together and played together, and she has been an incredibly significant part of my life.