Goodbye, Sweet Friend

  First of all, before you read this post, I want you to know that it's highly sentimental...and it's about a dog. I am an absolute sucker for dogs: I love them. I didn't end up taking most of the philosophies of my neighborhood of birth: like God doesn't exist unless it's one not worshipped by Christians, Joseph Smith is Satan (if Satan existed, which of course, if you're from the Avenues, he doesn't), being in a heterosexual marriage is so yesterday, etc.  However, people from my neighborhood are crazy about dogs, and I am, too. But, one dog in particular had her paws wrapped around my heart.
   My Mom loves dogs, as well, but my Dad is more picky. So, when Mom said she couldn't stand not having a dog in the house (our family dogs all had passed away), Dad flew out to Texas to pick out a sweet little Field Spaniel. Immediately, everyone in the family was enamored with this loving, affectionate, and feisty dog we named Aggie. Aggie was such a cute puppy. She had ears way too big for her little body and so when she would run down the stairs to greet us, it wasn't uncommon that she would flop down them after tripping over her ears. When we took her for walks, when she got tired, she would just plop on the ground and expect whoever was walking her to pick her up and carry her the rest of the way. As she grew to maturity, she became less outgoing with strangers but we could not have asked for a smarter and more fun dog. When we first got her, I had hurt my back and she would just lay with me for hours and spend time with me. She truly was the best friend I had for quite some time.

Aggie, in the middle, with her siblings. Such a cute puppy.

Aggie trying to fit into our kitten's bed. She thought it was comfy, for some reason. 

Yes, the Cannons are your weird neighbors who view their dog as part of the family.

Like weird people who think their dogs are part of their family, Aggie celebrated birthdays with us.

Aggie couldn't believe it was me, so she was cautiously optimistic when I came home. Or, she didn't recognize me because how fat I had become. 

   I eventually went to college and then on a mission. While I was on my mission, I missed my family but knew that they were proud of me and happy with my decisions. So, to be honest, I missed Aggie more than I missed anyone else. I worried that she wouldn't remember me or that she would (like dogs do) eat something toxic. When I got home, she was fine and we had a great reunion. She couldn't believe it was actually me and I thought she was going to wet herself from excitement. That's one thing I love about dogs; they always make your day because whenever you come home it's like the greatest moment of their lives. Every time I came home, I would pet her and hang out with my friend.
   While I was in Virginia doing my interviews, though, I got a call from my Mom that Aggie had been having seizures. We thought the meds they put her had fixed the problem, but when I got home, she started having more. On Monday, March 7th, we had to put Aggie down. There is nothing like putting down a beloved family dog to make grown men weep like babies. It was sad to see her go, but it was nice to get to say goodbye to a good friend. And it's nice that Joseph Smith was an animal lover like me, and said that animals can go to the Celestial Kingdom. Here's hoping that I live my life right, so I get to see my dog, again!