Trooper was my rambunctious, crazy, overexcitable dog. I was very young when we got him. About 7 to be exact. I walked inside my house one day when I was home from school to find my mom giving a squirming, grunting puppy a bath. His eyes were mismatched colors, and he looked like a goof. We decided to name him Trooper. When we would give him baths, he would grunt like a mad man. I always laughed and rubbed his ears when he would lick my face. He would grab soccer balls and go hide them somewhere, our version of an easter egg hunt. Trooper soon learned to run deer and also learned what the word 'ride' meant. Every time you mentioned the word 'ride', he would start thumping his little nub tail on the ground.
When Trooper was about 1 and a half years old, he was diagnosed with heartworms. My dad and I didn't have the money to treat him, given that my parents had recently divorced at that time. I knew what was going to happen: he was going to die. I spent many restless nights thinking over the past year and a half with him. When my ninth birthday came around, Trooper died. I cried for weeks, months. I finally got mature enough to notice that he wasn't coming back and that all crying would do is make my eyes all read and my throat hurt.
It really is true that you don't know what you have until it's gone, but it's also true that you don't know what you're missing until it arrives. That little bundle of joy left me with many happy memories, so I am writing this to let you know of what a dog can do for you. They can make your life a much happier place to be.