Sometimes you just need a dog
Marina Schafer
I have always loved dogs. I’ve spent most of my life so far around a dog. My family’s first dog was an English pointer named Beau, who was very calm, kind and adventurous. When we had guests over, or when someone would knock on the door, he didn’t bark. He would just run to the door and wait to see who was there. Since my parents got him before I was born, he was always there and was the only dog I knew well. I was very scared of other dogs because I didn’t know any quite as well as I knew Beau. Beau passed away when I was around eight years old.
After he died, I spent some time reading books about dogs in the library. I learned about many different breeds; I became more interested and more appreciative of dogs. I wanted a new one, but my family didn’t. We all knew that no dog could ever replace Beau.
A year went by, and the dog rescue center where we got Beau, emailed us and recommended a dog named Hank, who wasn’t on their website yet. We read his description and my family and I were interested in meeting him. It described him as a joyful, excited dog who has lots of energy. This was my chance to finally convince my parents get us a dog.
About a week later, we drove two hours to Lincoln, California. Everyone was super excited; we could almost feel the tension on the car. We met with the owner and the dog at a nearby park. When we first saw Hank, a shiny, brown dog, he quickly glanced at us, but was much more excited to go to the park. I thought that Hank was slightly smaller than Beau, but now I realize that I was just shorter.
We had a long conversation with the owner while watching the dog. She talked about how she was too busy to take care of a dog, and she didn’t have enough time to give Hank the exercise he needed, which was why she needed to put him up for adoption.
Since Hank is a German short-haired pointer, a type of hunting dog, he was chasing squirrels and running around. I even noticed that his tail was only half cropped. It wasn’t a full length tail, but it definitely wasn’t as cropped as some hunting dogs. I thought it looked kind of funny. My sister and I were running around the park with him before agreeing that we both wanted this dog.
While my mom and dad were talking to the owner, they decided that they also wanted Hank. The whole family was in agreement. My mom asked the owner, “When should we come back to pick up Hank? We’re free next weekend if that works for you.”
“Unfortunatley, I’m going out if town next weekend,” she answered. “But you can take him now if you want, I have to go to my friend’s wedding after this,” she added.
“Really?” My mom replied. “He can come with us right now?”
I was so excited, “Wait were getting a dog right now?” I said. I thought that we wouldn’t be seeing Hank for another couple of weeks, but today? This had been going so much better than I had imagined!
After my rush of excitement, we all went to PetSmart and bought everything Hank needed to live with us. A new dog bed, food, a collar, treats, toys, all of which the owner helped us pick out. We even ended up getting a discount because the she used to be the manager at that Petsmart location.
On the drive home, there was a lot of traffic, and it took twice as long to get back. Hank was sleeping during most of the car ride, except for when there was a loud noise outside. Later, we learned that he is easily startled by noises. Because of the traffic, I was over 4 and half hours late to a sleepover.
It only took about two months for Hank to fully get used to us and learn his way around our neighborhood. First, he figured out little things like who gives him food and when, or which direction home was on a walk. Over time he learned to trust us and soon he became a part of our family.
A few months after, my mom and sister found out that they are both allergic to dog hair, but that wasn’t something we couldn’t fix with a solution. Even a few years and many dog stories later, we still have Hank. Taking care of a pet takes some responsibility, but it’s all worth it because having a pet is like having a friend. It sometimes causes you to try new things; I never would’ve taken walks around my neighborhood if I didn’t have a dog. Sometimes you just need a dog.
