I had a dog who recently passed away who played a very important role in my life. When I was six years old my mom brought me home a tiny little Maltese puppy. White and fluffy, running all around my kitchen. I was overwhelmed with excitement as my mom told me that I would have to take very good care of her. I picked the tiny puppy up with a full smile on my face and at six years old I promised this little furball that I would love her unconditionally and make her have the best life that I could possibly give her. We named her Reese and she was instantly such a special part of the family. Reese slept with me in my bed every single night. Since she was so little we always had to watch where we were stepping, make sure that you looked before you got up from the chair and of course always be on the lookout for her when pulling into the driveway. Reese was a very adventurous little dog, she loved going for rides and going for a swim with her doggy life jacket out in the pool. Reese was what a lot of people considered a rat dog. I was known for being the girl obsessed with my little rat dog. Everyone knew how special she was to me and how much I truly loved her. Even though she could never talk back to me I would talk to her every single night. High school isn’t always the easiest time in a teenager’s life but being able to talk out loud to my little dog was very therapeutic for me. She let me hold her but I was sad and she would run around and be full of energy but I needed something to smile about. I believe in my heart that Reese and I were made for each other and were meant to be connected. I involved her in everything that I could and I took her as many places as I could. Every day when I would come home from school I would always look forward to hearing her high-pitched bark and seeing her little white fluffy face come around the corner with her tail wagging, happy to see me. She did this for me for a total of 12 years. She was such a spunky dog and during her last days you really couldn’t tell until it was her last day. She kept up her energy for as long as she possibly could. She was 12 years old after all but when you love someone so much you never want to think about what your life would be like without them. I failed to prepare myself for the day but I would have to say goodbye to her. One morning I woke up thinking I would have to go to school like normal but that wasn’t the case. Reese was laying there and was unable to open her eyes. I held her in my arms for over two hours listening to her tiny breaths. I knew what was coming and I couldn’t hold back the tears. I held her until she took her last breathe. She wasn’t in pain and I’m so grateful for that. I never realized how much she impacted me until she was gone, but one thing that I was always sure of, from the moment that I laid eyes on her, was that I loved her with my whole entire heart.