Mailman Dave
Yesterday started as a great day. I went and was with my best friend who I hadn’t seen in forever, and then I got a call from my dad. My family’s dog Hershey had passed away in the middle of the day. I instantly felt pain and regret. The one time that I’m not home is when this shit happens. I should’ve been home and were able to see him in his last few minutes on Earth.
I grew up always having dogs. When I was around 9, we had three dogs. Dusty, Fluffy, and Roxy were all old when I grew up, and by the time I was 12, they were all gone. I begged my parents to get another dog, and then we saw a chocolate lab sitting in a little girl’s stroller. My parents finally broke and said yes. From the age of 12-18, I was with Hershey all the time; he was my first dog. Family dogs are weird, you grow up with them, and then once you get older, you leave. Every time you come home from school break, your family dog is waiting for you. They act as if you’ve never left. They want to get all of the pets and spend as much time with you as possible. They don’t care if you’re getting blackout drunk every weekend, failing out of classes, and have no idea what you’re going to do with your life. Maybe you get your own pet, but there’s still a special place in your heart for your family pet.
During the shittiest time of my life, when I was trying to decide if I would drop out of college, Hershey was there. This is a very cringy moment in my life, but I don’t care. One night when I was very depressed, I had just dropped out of college, and I had no idea what I would do with my life. I had Landslide by Smashing Pumpkins playing on repeat, and I had my head rested on Hershey’s head, and tears were pooling in my eyes. I had no idea if I would drive my shitty Impala into the trees or keep going day after day. Laying there with Hershey made me feel like I needed to stay alive and not take my own life.
It’s unfair that pets don’t live as long as humans do, but it’s part of life. And it’s part of growing up; you lose pets that you love as much as family. RIP Hershey; you’ll always be one of the best dogs. You are no longer sick and skinny. You’re back to your best big brown.
