A Dog Day Afternoon

They always say that a dog is a man's best friend while diamonds are a girl's best friend. Personally, I never really cared for diamonds, they always seemed too expensive and I thought I'd lose them—but I love my dog, Meryl, and she truly is one of my best friends. The sad thing is, as I feel like I've been growing up too fast, I failed to see that Meryl is growing 4 times the rate I am. While my family has only had her for 13 years, in reality, she's almost 70 years old! In dog years, of course.
 
Meryl is a Weimaraner, a German hunting dog. Weimaraners were bred as a “royal” dog with sleek fur and perfect posture. My grandparents were Weimaraner breeders and they entered many of their Weimaraners into dog shows. My sister and I asked for a puppy when I was about 8 and because my mother had grown up with Weimaraners, it seemed logical to get one. I always had this idea that pets should have some say in their own name. We tried calling her “Delilah”, “Candace”, and a few other names but she only really seemed to respond the name “Meryl”.
 
From the beginning, she had a mind of her own. I could go on for hours about the crazy times I've had with Meryl. I could talk about how she broke her leg once, and even after the cast came off, she pretended to limp to gain treats and attention from my sister and I. I could talk about how Meryl knows where each sunny spot is in our yard, and how she drags her bed to each of them, following the sun. A person can experience so much anger, love, sadness, and joy with a pet. If it's a pet you've grown up with since very young, they're not seen as pets at all, they're family. When you're caught up in the everyday stress of working, schooling, maintaining relationships, or simply just trying to get through each day, time is relative. And time in dog years is even more confusing.
 
You may think it's only been a few years, but one day you look at your pet and wonder, “how old are you?” It's a scary thing, really. A pet is dependable, always there for you for comfort and love, but you never really realize how much they've grown, and what stage in life's progression they are at. See, dogs never really act they're age. I consistently encounter dogs that are much older but act like puppies still. I've even seen some puppies that act as if they're retiring and nap all day. Meryl has always acted like a puppy, but I didn't really notice how much she had aged until her hyperactivity slowed, she started napping more than half the day, and she's becoming ill. It breaks my heart to know that she really is growing older, and it makes you really question if you've been good to your pet. Are you a good friend to them? Have you tried to bring joy to their life like they've brought to yours? In the end, it really comes down to how well you think they've lived. Meryl has had such a rich and happy life, my family loves her for every one of her quirks and issues, and she's been nothing short of a fantastic family member. I've laughed with her, cried with her, yelled at her for marking her territory in my room, but all in all, Meryl will forever be this girl's best friend.