My dog and I

When I first lay eyes on him, I was sold. The picture on the Internet revealed a young dog, about one and a half months old, a so-called Farmers Fox-Terrier, a Dutch breed. He was playing in a little stream surrounded by green water plants. A lovely sight, I fell in love immediately.

His name was Moses, and his owners wanted to sell him for a hundred and fifty Euros. They lived in my city, and as I was excited and looking for a dog, I rang them. We made an appointment to meet that very same evening.

Life had not treated me well, and due to circumstances, I moved back to the city I was born in, renting a small one-bedroom apartment in a lovely part of The Hague, the Netherlands. I was forced to start a new life, and I was looking for company.

A young dog would be the answer.

That evening the doorbell rang, and up to the third floor, a couple came with a light, brown dog. They sat down on my little sofa, a young man and his obese girlfriend, the dog pressed against her belly, looking around with great liveliness in his beautiful brown eyes.

Their story was they already had cats and a dog when they bought Moses. It was not a friendly match, and after one month, they decided to get rid of him because he didn’t fit in.

We took a walk into the dark evening, Moses and me; on the leash for 20 minutes, and I felt it immediately: we hit it off. Love at first sight.

That night I became the proud owner of a new dog in my life, and I named him Arie. A better name for him.

Arie and I are together for 12 years now, and I still love him to bits. He makes me smile every day, and he makes me happy. Whether he is asleep, breathing heavily onto his doggy bed, on his bench, or the bed, whether he is awake, doing his doggy things, walking, peeing, pooping, or playing with other dogs, he always makes me feel this special feeling of love and affection. I adore Arie.

He is the love of my life!

Since he is thirteen years old, I am aware of his age and the fact that I have to miss him in a few years. I hope we still have time because he is a young dog at heart and healthy as can be. But time is pressing, statistically speaking.

Sometimes that notion makes me anxious, a little bit nervous. I want to care for him forever, but that is not realistic. I know I have to part with him one day. But for now, he and I are enjoying each other’s company every minute of every day.

My dearest friend, I love you so much!

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