Gina Wallace

9/23/14
Narrative/Description Essay

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A Dog That Changed My Life
The television was on, but the sound of it barely fazed me. The sights around me were
blurred by tears. It all came crashing down the minute my mom told me with tears in her eyes,
Skips dead.
The sound of an alarm woke me up early that morning to go to school. By the time I had
gotten ready, the sun had begun to rise, although you could barely tell with the clouds in the sky.
As I was about to leave, I told my mom, Im leaving, I will lock the door behind me. She
mumbled a sleepy okay before I exited out the door and headed to my bus stop. It was a normal
day; I talked with my friends--mostly about Thanksgiving plans--went through the usual high
school classes and returned home, once again on the bus. Unfortunately, that very normal day
changed the instant I walked in through the back door.
It was quiet, too quiet for the house that usually had daycare kids that were awake and
playing games by this time with their cheerful faces and playful nature. The dogs didnt even
bark or come greet me. I walked into the living room and saw my brothers fianc with the
children sleeping away, not yet awoken from their nap. As I gave her a confused look, she
whispered softly, Talk to your mom.
I took slow steps to my moms bedroom where the door was closed. I reached for the
knob and opened the door and found my mom was crying. Two of our dogs were with her,
Sparky a Chihuahua mix, and Cookie a Pomeranian, Skip, the black lab, was nowhere in sight.
Before I could even asked, mom spoke up, still crying, Skips dead. I didnt wait for any
further explanation. I went straight into my room, sat on the floor and let the tears fall. My mind


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wandered to all of the guilt of not spending much time with him after I had gone to middle
school and even high school.
I could only ask myself, Why did he have to leave us now, why couldnt he have stayed
just a little longer?
Skip had been with me through so much, as we got him when I was only three years old.
He always protected us, and was there for us; he was like another big brother to me. My thoughts
were clouded about his death as I tried to picture what life would be like without him there, the
big bulky black lab that he was. There would no longer be a shadow behind us as we walked
around the house, or tried to accomplish some chore. There would also no longer be deep barks
of excitement emitted from the house upon our arrival back home. We wouldnt have that secure
feeling of being protected by this big dog that got the nickname Bear, or even the laughter he
used to bring with the silly habit of his: howling along to any musical instrument.
The pool during the summer would be filled with people rather than his constant doggy-
paddle as he refused to get out until he was exhausted. He wouldnt be the one waking me up, by
pulling my blanket off, on weekends. He would no longer be there when we needed a shoulder
to cry on, or when we needed hope because things just seemed hopeless. And most of all, he
wouldnt be there when we called his name, or even just turned around.
We wouldnt be able to see that adorable, seemingly smiling face any longer and it
pained all of us to admit that. All the trouble he caused us with his getting into the trash and
digging holes was worth it. The hole in our hearts that he had filled after my parents divorce
was now empty once more.


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I sniffled and wiped the tears away. I checked the clock; two hours had passed since I
heard the news. Some of the daycare kids had even left, and I hadnt even noticed all the talking,
or dogs barking that had gone on, until now, as the dogs barked almost endlessly at one of the
parents leaving with their child. I wandered out of my room, and back into my moms room
where she still remained. The bed seemed almost empty without Skip taking up most of it. I
walked over and gave her a warm hug as she finally explained what happened, I woke up
shortly after you left to let the dogs out and Skip wouldnt move. So I went to nudge him and he
was cold. He died right next to me in his sleep She paused for a second before continuing,
At least he died peacefully and didnt suffer.
I said quietly, Everything will be okay, but mostly to myself and hugged her once more
before leaving the room. I went to find our other dog Sparky, as he always brought comfort to
me in times like this. As I sat down on the couch, he jumped right onto my lap attempting to lick
my face. I moved before he could, but held him tightly as if he were a teddy bear. His soft, long
fur was all I needed to calm myself before I ended up crying again. That day seemed like a
nightmare that would never end.
Weeks passed slowly after the incident; school seemed longer, or rather days seemed
longer in general. My friends kept saying how sorry they were for my loss and how they knew if
they had one of their pets die then theyd feel the same way. But as time went on we slowly
opened up to the idea of getting another dog, another Labrador in particular.
I couldnt help but feel like we were replacing him and that idea didnt sit well with me
so I tried to convince my mom of another breed. But each time she would respond with,
Labradors are so easy to train, and they are really affectionate. What she was describing


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though was Skip. Not all Labrador Retrievers would act like him, and my mom found out the
hard way after a friend of mine gave us a black lab puppy for free on Christmas because her
grandparents werent ready for a puppy.
Her name is Maggie; she is shorter than most Labradors and is almost a female version of
Marley from Marley and Me. She barks at everything, has no sense of smell, and often digs
holes inside and outside. The pup had caused a lot of destruction to the yard as well as to carpet.
She is way more energetic than Skip ever was, and a lot harder to train due to her lack of smell.
My mom almost gave her away two times in the past, only to be stopped by me. I couldnt lose
another dog so fast; I couldnt give up on her.
Although Maggie is nothing like Skip, she still has an impact on our family. Every day
she surprises us with how smart she is by using her paws in ways that are almost human-like; she
can open doors, get things off the counters that she couldnt normally reach, and even open gates
to the yard or pool deck. She is capable of things Skip wasnt and has proven to make us laugh
with her silly and energetic behavior. Maggie could never replace Skip, but she helped us realize
even more how special Skip was, and how special she is.