Weddings; the one place you usually hear the phrase “Til death do us part.”

But that’s not what we’re talking about here. We’re talking about friendship, death… life.

A week before school started, my summer went from amazing to devastating. Our 14 ½ year old dog wouldn’t eat anything, couldn’t use the bathroom, and could barely even walk. Mom had taken her to the vet for a check up, where she had been told that it was her time. She came home and broke the news to us, which is when we all broke down crying. She’s been there for me for almost my whole life, entering my life when I was just three years old. She’d become my best friend in no time, almost always sleeping on my blanket and licking away my tears and frustration. The next day, we took our other dogs with us to the vet when we put her down so that they’d know where Cookie had gone. It took them a while to show their feelings to us, but once we had gotten back home after spending a long time at the vet’s saying goodbye to Cookie, they would just lay around the house, crying, whining and avoiding us.

When we first got Cookie, we were told her breed of dog could live for at least 17 years. She didn’t quite make it that far, but she made it farther than most other dogs, for which I’m grateful for. If we had lost her earlier, I wouldn’t have known how to deal with it. I would’ve been even more devastated, having no one to talk to for a longer amount of time than just the few days before school started. Heck, I probably wouldn’t be talking to anyone at school if we lost her earlier. But I am talking to people, grieving over my dog whenever I talk about her. Even just the thought of her makes me tear up, like I am right now.

But we can’t change what life has in store for us. We can just make the most of whatever life hands our way, even if it ruins our lives for a good chunk of time. Life isn’t fair; we all know that. We can’t fool death into letting us stay longer. It’s just not how it works. And we can’t force people or animals into staying longer when it’s their time to go. It’s not fair to them, or to us. We’ll just have to see our loved ones feeling more pain than they have to feel if we were to try and get rid of their illnesses by medicating them. Doing that would only make us as their living family feel even more devastated when they get sick once more, or if the medication just doesn’t work.
Yes, I’m still devastated by losing my best friend of 14 ½ years, but I’m working on feeling better, using the only way of communicating to people and conveying my feelings that I know- my writing. Cookie was the best friend that I could ever ask for, and nobody can ever replace her. However, I have to keep moving on with my life, even though she’s gone. Life doesn’t stop for anyone, nor does time turn back, which is why we have to make the most of everything.

To all of my dear pets, friends, and family, there’s only one thing I have to say. I’ll never forget you or leave you behind; I’ll never betray you or hurt you; I’ll always be your friend, til death do us part.