By Alex Nash
To my dearest yet absent human,
Life as a dog has been ruff without you. No, seriously, it feels like it has been years since I saw you during winter break, and I mean human years. I understand your studies are important and may sometimes take precedence over me, but I get it. Your future is bright, and majoring in… what do you major in again? Still, surely it is no easy task. But when I heard that you were planning a spring break trip with your new friends? At a hotel that is not dog-friendly, no less? My heart just broke into pieces. I always knew the day would come when you would grow up and leave me behind, but that does not make this day any easier.
It is just that I truly miss you. Every time I go outside, I am reminded of your panicked shouts when I relieved myself on that garden gnome you dote over, possibly more than me. Now, I relieve myself in silence. See, I miss you, even when you are angry at me. No one takes me on walks anymore because I refuse to leave this home without you. I stare blankly out the window that views the backyard, where even a passing bird cannot snap me out of my daze. When it becomes too much to bear, I lay next to your bedroom door and wonder when the next time will be when I see you again. You may have wonderful friends at school, but I know no one can treat you with the same amount of unwavering love as I did.
Is it too much to say that I have no purpose unless it is with you? I started to notice it at first when you left for your first year of college and it has only gotten worse since then. Initially, it was an intense change. I lost my appetite for the meal I am served each day, which never happens. You know just how much I love food and even more the bland pellets that I never lose interest in. When you left, I had an awakening. I questioned the purpose of the mundane and repetitive life I was living. And now, the news that you will not be seeing me next week leaves me in further disarray.
After hearing about your bitter betrayal, I have been considering my next steps. Should I allow myself to wallow in self-pity, or can I do something? Our relationship was never one-sided. The care you received was given to me. With you gone, I dwell plenty on our cherished memories. Do you give me the same thought? I do not want to accuse you of something you have not done, but you were not thinking about me enough to convince yourself to come home? I feel so alone. Thus, I began to research this overlooked facet of a human-dog relationship.
Did you know that when students neglect their duty to return over spring break, good dogs spend over five hours of their time doing nothing? Instead of enjoying what they have, the burden of longing for what they could have prevents them from enjoying anything. I hope you can full-heartedly remember this over your enjoyable break. For me, who you always told was a good dog, it will be far from it.
Hardly surviving,
Your furry friend
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