¨We can't take him to the shelter¨ my dad says to my mom as we are packing the house to move again. ¨I can't do that to her, she has bonded too close to him¨, my mom says back. We were leaving our house to go live with our grandparents until my dad got a house after the divorce. All I could think in these moments was, ¨Am I going to lose my best friend? ¨Where will he go?¨ My mom has moved out and is living with her boyfriend who already has 2 dogs of his own and my grandparents don't like the idea of a dog in their house. My mom promised I wouldn't lose Dave after the divorce and I didn't but now that we have to move out of our home where Dave lived I didn't know what would happen to him. I didn't know what I would do without him or how I could live without him being with me. 

I grabbed my vibrating phone off of my dresser and answered the call, ¨John says Dave can come live with us so you can keep him baby¨.

 Tears filled my eyes and I sank to the floor ¨Thank you¨ is all I could say back. 

The love I carry for my best friend grows heavier every day but it is a good weight to carry. I have carried my love for him since he was put into my arms 6 years ago. My best friend Is an energetic, 70-pound, brown-and-black striped boxer. I named him Dave on the car ride home from the breeder while he was sleeping in my lap while my 3 siblings argued over who got to hold him next. Dave was supposed to be a family dog but he soon clung to my hip and was now ¨Anika's dog. Dave is bigger than most boxers I have seen, being 70 pounds,  but that doesn't stop him from being a total lap dog. He loves food and will chase you around the house with drool dripping down to the floor just to get a taste of what you have. Dave stayed right by my side even through my parent's divorce. He helped me navigate through that new and drastic change in my life, which created a bond that can never be broken. 

We pull up to an unfamiliar driveway. It is dark and quiet. The only thing we hear is the sound of the gravel as we pull in and come to a stop, but suddenly there are loud barks coming from all around us. Catching on to the suspicion of our parents, my siblings and I walk through the front door of the unfamiliar house. I am the first one to walk through the door. The room is bright and decked out in Christmas decorations with it being two days before Christmas. I'm in the living room and the familiar sound of The Grinch plays on the TV. The smells of sweet Christmas candles fill my nose. I see a short blonde-haired woman that I have never seen before and without saying a word hands me a tiny, soft, calm puppy. I hold him close to my chest and look at my parents in shock. They nod their heads yes confirming this puppy is ours. 

Being the oldest of 4 I have to share a lot with my siblings. I begged for a dog and promised to take care of it. With my parents always saying maybe to a dog I was doubtful I would ever get one. Until December 2017 when I finally got my dog. He was a family dog so once again I had to share him with my siblings. I matured at a young age and was always bossing my siblings around. Mine and Dave's personalities matched, we are energetic but can always relax, we both are scared of storms and loud clashes of thunder, and we both can tell when something is wrong and when the other needs them. 

He is warm and curled in a ball at the end of the bed. My room is quiet and dark with only the light of the TV as it plays a show while I fall asleep. My feet are tightly covered by my pink silk sheets and the weight of Dave holding them down. His presence on the end of my bed comforts me and makes me smile but it turns into a sad smile and then tears fill my eyes knowing that he will not always be at the end of my bed. Someday he won't jump up and follow me when I say it is time for bed. Someday he won't be here and my best friend will be gone. 

Dave was the best Christmas present I believe I will ever get. I am grateful for the relationship we have grown to have. He is my best friend and I like to believe I am his. If I could thank him I would say thank you for listening to me cry, thank you for making me smile, thank you for following me outside to my car when it's dark, and thank you for never leaving me alone even when I'm tripping over you.  I once heard someone say, ¨Spend time with your dog every day because they are your best friend for only a short period of time but you are their best friend for their whole life."