One of my closest family members was my dog, Francine. Since I was born we formed a special bond with one another. However, she was getting old, and nearing her final stages of life. I was about 11 years old and had not yet dealt with death, meaning this played a huge role in my life. She had already had a plethora of health problems; She had previously recovered from cancer, had surgery to remove a bandage from her stomach she ate off of her arm, and had many more issues. 

We had gotten a new puppy named Bear, but he did not help. Bear constantly jumped on and around her, causing her to get worked up. His attempts to befriend her did not bring them closer, but instead pushed them farther away. One day she snapped at him, causing him to shake and jump up to the couch for safety. We had to give Francine an area where she could be alone close to a sliding glass door where she would walk down the stairs to go outside. Bear would always go over to Francine's area with a toy, asking her to play. But instead, the metal bars of Francine’s area separated a golden face from a silly puppy. 

Sadly, the day came when we had to put her down. My mom came to pick up my sister and me from school and told us the news. Francine had to be euthanized. We drove to the vet right after school, where my dad had been waiting. We could say our final goodbyes to Francine, but I was too scared to go in. The veterinarians had put a tube down her throat to help her breathe while she was unconscious. I knew I wasn’t scared of the tube, but what had happened to Francine. I couldn’t believe my lifelong friend was no longer going to be with us. This was my biggest regret, as I had never gotten to see her one more time before she left. I finally went in to say goodbye, but it was already too late. They had put her down, and she lay lifeless on the table. 

That image will forever stay in my memory, and especially in the following weeks as I mourned the death of her. It was hard adjusting to living without Francine, as she had been there for me my entire life. After school, I would come home to a happy smiling golden face with a puppy right at her side. Instead, when I opened the door I only saw a little puppy bouncing up and down. Bear would always wander around in the spot where he had last seen Francine, hoping to find her once more. 

But he could never find her. Reflecting on the situation, Bear and I acted nearly the same. We were both young, hyperactive kids who were too much to handle. I would give anything to spend more time with Francine. To conclude, I learned a valuable lesson from this experience. you only have a limited amount of time with someone. With this newfound knowledge, I decided to not make the same mistake once more. Now I have been spending much more time with Bear and love him every single day.