My First Love

For Blog #5 I am obligated to combine two of our topic choices. This is because my pet was my first love.
Agustus McCrae McGraw became my first love and best friend when I was 4 years old. He was an American Yellow Lab, American Kennel Club approved and the most loyal, loving creature that lived. The day Gus passed away was the worst day of my life. It was January 20th 2009. I was a senior in high school. A lot people think it’s dumb to get this attached to an animal. They do not understand how a pet can mean so much to someone, but the day that Gus died, a part of me died too. In my 21 short years on this earth I still have yet to encounter a living thing so loving, forgiving, caring, faithful, and loyal as Gus. We named him after my parents' favorite movie, Lonesome Dove.  My obsession with yellow labs began that day we brought him home.

Gus became the focal point of all my drawings, games, made up stories, my life.
We were always together, outside or inside, and when I wasn’t with Gus all I thought about was Gus. He loved cheese and would run into the kitchen at the sound of the refrigerator door opening. I even shared my popsicles with him. Every day when people came home from work or school, Gus acted like he hadn’t seen us in years and was overjoyed. Every walk was the best walk ever to Gus. Every meal was the best meal ever to Gus.

When I had bad dreams or couldn’t fall asleep (which was always), I would tip toe downstairs to the kitchen and curl up with Gus on his bed. Every morning my Dad would ask Gus to get the paper and Gus would run down to the end of the drive way, pick the paper up in his mouth and bring it back up to the back door in exchange for a treat. Gus didn’t like the Sunday paper because it was too heavy and he would end up leaving a trail of flyers, magazines, and other ads along the driveway. Gus hated it when people were sad or mad and whenever he saw me crying he would slowly walk over, lick my tears off my face and bury his head in my lap. He would get jealous and bark when anyone hugged each other.

When my Granddad had to have open heart surgery, he wasn’t able lie down in a bed and was confined to the recliner in the living room. During his weeks of recovery, Gus lay at the side of the recliner, next to the lever, and only got up to eat or go outside to use the bathroom. Gus meant so much to my family and I. I am so blessed to have had Gus for the time that I did. He taught me more about how to live and love than any guy ever has. Those were the best 14 years of my life.