Personal Narrative: My First Dog

From the first dog I got to the first time I picked up and played a trumpet, and from the losses I’ve had to endure to the greatest friend I’ve made in my life. These little “first” events have made me the person I am today. Today if I was to describe myself in one word I would say that the word guardian would be the most accurate to who I am. I am the kind of person who would lay down his life for anyone. I’d take a bullet for just about anyone, or hold a door back to stop someone who was to hurt my friends. I would even jump on top of someone to protect them from something falling on them, and I would even carry them to safety even if it would cost me my life. The “first” events that I have experienced have left a scar on me good or bad each one has made the man I am today.

My first pet was a dog which was an Australian Terrier mix named Maggie. WE had rescued her from the humane society and Maggie was

always a calm, loving, and even a caring dog. Every day I would come home she would be excited as any other dog would normally be, but she would always be by my side while I would do my homework, ate, of course she would try to get a treat, and she would even go to bed with me sometimes. No matter what mood I would be in she would always be happy to see me when I got home. If she could tell I had a bad day she would try to comfort me, which left me thinking, if a dog can tell what mood you were in and can even help bring a smile to my face despite all the tears I had shed, despite her being a dog she showed me that just being there for someone else to comfort them can go a long way and even make someone feel better. Sadly she was hurt in an accident that left her paralyzed and would need to be put to rest. Today remembering her loss still hurts, but I will always remember her for being that caring dog she always was, but she wouldn’t be the first to pass away and leave a mark on me that would shape me to be who I am today.
My grandmother Peggy who was on my father’s side of the family showed me what perseverance, determination, and “never quit” means. As a mid-sixties grandma who was diagnosed with cancer in 2001, and she was told that she had six months to live, instead she had fought for five years during which she got to feeling better and could have the energy to do what she was originally able to do. I was too young at the time to realize what she had accomplished and even what cancer was. Just to realize what kind of pain she must have gone through during that time still amazes me today because most people would just give up and just die, but my grandma probably knew she was going to die, but just not then. No she would not accept that she wasn’t ready to leave that early while her grandkids where all still young. She would eventually be hospitalized due to her cancer, and at this point she was seventy years old and too weak to fight it. She did fight back as much as she could, but it wasn’t enough and everyone could see in her eyes that she had excepted that it was her time to go, but not until she could say her goodbyes to everyone. To even think how much she fought during all that is just amazing what pain someone can endure even late in their life. Her death had a huge impact on me and taught me to fight for what is right and to always fight to be tough, but I did not realize that while coping with her death and many other difficulties that I would find the greatest friend I would ever know.
During the time of my grandma’s death and when I was being bullied the most I would meet the greatest friend I would ever know. Her name was Alex, and she would leave the biggest impact on me that I had ever had. In the beginning I did not realize what kind of person she was until I had become a sad, quite, and full of anger person I once was. I think she realized that I needed a friend who would care for me and just be friend to me. She had always been the kind of person who would stand with their hand out to pick me up no matter how many times I would swat it out of the way. Eventually I took her hand and she picked me up and showed me the light, the good, and helped me be a better person than what I was. To this day I do not know if she knew what she ever did for me, but a part of me wants to tell her and the other wants to find her and just become the friends we once were. My feelings for her are what helps me become a better person and a better friend like she was to me. The fact she was able to put a smile on my face when I was messed up means a lot because it was all from her just wanting to be my friend and that is probably the biggest reason why I want to be a “guardian”. I want to be a friend like her to all of my friends and even to just other people in my life.
These events that happened in my life have made me the man I am today and more events will happen, but I will build from them and not fall.

My dog Maggie showed me what the true meaning of caring is and it is why I love my friends and family as much as I do now. My Grandmother showed me what perseverance is which made me thick skulled and why I refuse to quit in any circumstances. Alex who was the greatest friend I ever had showed me what the true meaning of a friend is and she herself impacted me to become a better friend. These are only three events that have impacted me to become the man I am today all of which left a scar on me. The scars I have gained throughout my life have made me want to be the guardian I want to be. A guardian who offers a hand to pick someone up, a smile to help someone feel better, or even a shoulder to let someone cry on. A guardian is also someone who watches over their friends and who is always willing to lay down there life at any given time. This is the man I have become today and will always be the man until my final

breath.