In the 6th grade I got my first real pet. He was just a tiny, fragile puppy and his name was Bodie. Bodie went everywhere with me. We’d go outside, chase tennis balls, go for walks and play with his favorite thing in the world… puff balls. One time I got a whole basket full of them for Easter. In the summers, Bodie and I would go swimming and make videos about him saving floating pink princess fairies from alligators. Of course, after all of our swimming we would always share a popsicle together. In the fall, he would protect us from any trick or treaters by viciously barking at them until they ran away. In the winter, we would make igloo homes together.
He also loved catching snowballs in the air. He always got covered in snow afterwards, so we would run inside and sit by the fire until we melted back to normal. Bodie was always there for me no matter what. When I’d get sick and be in bed all day, he’d always come and check on me. As soon as I got home from school, he’d jump on me and lick my face until I couldn’t breathe.
Sometimes we’d get weird looks when I’d order 2 vanilla milkshakes at Sonic. And the carhop watches me give the other one to Bodie. I mean it’s his favorite. I talk to Bodie like any other human. He’s a very smart dog and knows when to run to the car when I say, “Let’s go for a ride!" And where to hide when I yell, “Do you want a bath?” Today Bodie is accompanied by two other cats, Mitchie and Ollie. Every day Bodie tells me that they torture him while I’m at school, but I think he is being over dramatic. He only attaches to certain people and absolutely hates other dogs. Seriously like he may think he’s tough but one day he’ll realize he’s the size of a skateboard.
I’m going away to college in a couple of months and I’m terrified to leave Bodie. We go everywhere together because we only have a few months left together. We go to Starbucks, get gas at the gas station, even pick up my little sister from school together. He likes smiling at all the little kids. I’m even thinking about taking him to prom with me. I mean he’d look great in a pink bow tie. When I leave for college, I’m not sure what’s going to happen to Bodie. That scares me the most. One time we were laying in bed and I thought to myself, “What if he gets depressed? What if he doesn’t recognize me when I visit? Or, what if he runs away and tries to look for me?” The anxiety had taken over and I completely freaked myself out. I looked down at Bodie and tried to tell myself that everything will be ok.
He even gave me a reassuring nod before laying his head down to fall asleep. I smiled and closed my eyes feeling confident that Bodie was going to be just fine. No matter what happens we will always be connected somehow, someway.