I\u2019ve always been a daddy\u2019s girl, always. My dad used to take me to eat a breakfast taco at a restaurant of my choice on early Saturday mornings. One day I chose a place called \u201cBig Taco,\u201d which was the same restaurant my grandma used to work at. We ate our tacos, and on our way out I saw a little white puppy with dark orange spots that was very tiny and lonely.
\nMy heart bursted with flames as I asked my dad to take it home, knowing he\u2019d say \u201cno.\u201d He saw the desire I had for this puppy and said, \u201cYeah, we can take it. Let\u2019s just hope mom doesn\u2019t get mad.\u201d That was my biggest worry, too, my mom\u2019s opinion on taking home this puppy since we already had another dog.
\nMy brother was as fascinated as I was with this dog when we brought him home. We had different name ideas for him, but my dad proclaimed he\u2019d be named \u201cRufus.\u201d My brother and I looked at each other and said, \u201cWhat? Why Dad?\u201d He said, \u201cOh well, \u2018Rufus\u2019 is the name of Rachel Ray\u2019s dog, so that\u2019s going to be the name of our dog, too.\u201d We agreed on the name because we too loved Rachel Ray.
\nAfter a few months of having Rufus, we learned he was going to stay a small size, and be very energetic. He would run around our large backyard, tear up our garden and literally jump with us on our trampoline.
\nUntil one day we noticed that he couldn\u2019t anymore. He couldn\u2019t run or jump, and wouldn\u2019t even bark. How could this be? What had happened to him? We decided taking him to the veterinarian was the best option. We were told he had heartworms, and would need surgery very, very soon.
\nMy parents both knew how much Rufus meant to us, and saving him would be essential to our childhood, so we wouldn\u2019t have to experience a heartache as children. He went for surgery, and everything was perfect. We had our dog back, and life couldn\u2019t be any better.
\nThis was all until about 10 months later when we decided to take him for a walk around the street. What could possibly happen? We were finally taking our little puppy around the neighborhood for all of the neighbors to see.
\nHe was a small dog, well behaved for the most part, and we thought he wouldn\u2019t run away from us. It was my mom\u2019s idea to take him on this walk without a leash. We trusted my mom\u2019s instinct to let him roam around the street until we learned it was a mistake and the worst happened.
\nAbout 10 minutes into our walk, Rufus was run over by a car, and my heart was broken. I knew all of the memories we had jumping on the trampoline and running around our yard were all over. I saw my mom\u2019s guilt as she saw my heart break. Rufus was my life. I\u2019d come home to him every day after school, and now he\u2019s just gone.
\nImmediately we jumped into our family car, and rushed him in a box to a nearby animal clinic. The doctors told us he\u2019d need emergency surgery, and wouldn\u2019t know any results until after it was over. My parents took us back home to go to bed as we had school the next day. Since it was my dad\u2019s day off he brought me McDonald\u2019s during lunch time, my favorite, and said Rufus was home and okay. I was grateful for my parents, and the efforts they took to have him saved.
\nThis all happened about 13 years ago and today, Rufus is doing perfectly fine. He still runs around like he\u2019s that tiny puppy I first fell in love with.
\nHe\u2019s been there through all of my bad days, and especially my good ones. Sometimes I wish he\u2019d really understand what I\u2019m saying to him, so I can thank him for always being loyal to my family and me. I\u2019d tell him he\u2019s my first true love, and my childhood friend.
\nUltimately, I\u2019m in love, with my dog, and it\u2019s a love that only a pet owner would understand. Over time your pet will become more than just your pet, and more like another family member. I love my dog just as much as I love my own family members. As it\u2019s easier said than done, I hope he lives forever, just to have more time and share more memories with him.
\nI\u2019m in love with my dog, and nothing can change that. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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