Floppy ears, covered in radiant black and white hair, with the most adorable, bright, green eyes, I knew this was the last time I’d ever see my strong, two year old dog, Dudley. With no other solutions, I allowed my parents to put Dudley to sleep just before my senior year ended. He was not sick, he was not hurting, but he was mentally predictable. Ultra-protective and caring of my family, Dudley was a danger to anybody else that approached him. A very intelligent dog, it was hard for him not to figure out how to sneak at least some portion of our dinner when we ate. He was also trained very well… when he was with me. No other person could control him, and nobody outside my family could even approach him without receiving a very threatening snarl. In less than a second, that beautiful puppy face could go to blood-searching-demon-face if he felt the least bit uncomfortable. Snipping fingers that tried to pet him and attacking feet that neared him brought our family on edge of the danger. Unable to bring him back to the adoption center or get rid of him, he was an unreliable liability to my family. I knew Dudley was a threat, but when he looked at me, he seemed perfectly content. The final straw occurred when Dudley was playing nicely with another dog until all of a sudden; Dudley viciously attacked the much smaller dog. He mercilessly picked the fluff ball y the throat with his jaw and nearly killed the little fluff ball. Unable to prevent or predict Dudley, led to the unfortunate, but necessary decision. My parents finally made the call that it was just too dangerous to keep him. Those puppy eyes closed for the last time. I believe out of death, new life can begin.
Without bearing the least bit of emotion to outsiders, inside I was torn apart. I had a very difficult time coming home from school each day not having my companion to play chase with. For several months, I hated the silence. I filled it with getting obsessed with music, but no iPod can replace the playful yelps of my dog. Finally, I drove by an animal shelter and stopped. By myself, looking at the dogs full of life, I realized something; love does not die, it is recycled. Dudley might be gone, but his memory allowed me to experience the joys of having a first puppy I will never forget. Soon after coming home from visiting the shelter, I looked hard for the perfect puppy, one that didn’t snap this time. What I found was a 3 week old puppy girl named Ginger, with the same perfect green eyes that Dudley once had. My parents fell in love with my choice and allowed me to get Ginger… and her twin sister Goldie. When I come home from school now, I don’t see two green eyes looking up at me. Instead, I see four.