Man's Best Friend by Adriel

Man's Best Friend by Adriel - February 2024 Scholarship Essay

As I said goodbye to my father while he carried Teedo, heaving with each gasp of air into his lungs, to the emergency veterinary clinic, I wondered if Teedo would come back alive. That night, I could not sleep because I was thinking about the events of the day and wondering how one occurrence led to another. My spirits were lifted the next morning when my father called to tell me that Teedo was doing well with the oxygen crate that he was in. My father and I were about to leave to see Teedo when we received another call. When my father picked up the phone to hear an update on Teedo, his face plummeted, and when he told me that Teedo would need euthanasia, his face fell even more. I could not believe this was happening, so I ran. I ran out the door behind my father's old car and sobbed.
Memories of Teedo continued to flood my mind with each tear. Even though he was a dog, Teedo was my first friend, my best friend, and he was dying. I don’t know how long I cried, but it felt like an eternity. When I finally stopped, I got in the car and drove to the emergency vet clinic. My mother and my brother arrived shortly after I did, and we walked in together. As soon as I walked in, I could barely hold back my tears and began sobbing. As soon as I quieted my tears, they came back even stronger, and when I caught Teedo in my sight, I could not even try to keep it in anymore. He appeared exhausted and was just hanging onto what little life he still had with an IV and catheter connected to him. The veterinarian entered and said that it was for the best because he was in pain every second that he was still alive.
Teedo was placed on a bed in the room where the veterinarian took us. I cried for hours with Teedo, hoping that it was all a dream and that when I woke up, things would return to normal. However, this wasn't a dream; it was reality. My mother and my brother were unable to stay until the very end when it came time to say their final goodbyes to Teedo and left. My dad and I stayed. When the vet administered the first syringe, Teedo slowly closed his eyes and appeared to be falling asleep. The moment the vet administered the second syringe his eyelids fluttered open almost as if he were still alive, but then he became absolutely motionless, and that was when I realized that Teedo was gone. I've known Teedo since I was three years old, and I could not imagine living without him. Teedo was there for me when I was upset and allowed me to dress him in whichever outfit I wanted, but most importantly, he taught me that becoming a veterinarian is what I want to do with my life in order to save the lives of other animals in an attempt to prevent what happened to Teedo.
Teedo died on November 26, 2022, and he will always be remembered in my heart and the hearts of my family and friends. Going through this experience taught me that life is fleeting. You never know when a loved one, pet, or family member is going to pass away, so you have to hold onto those relationships and make every interaction count because you never know what interaction could change someone's life