My dog Hershey “Chocolate” Cohen and I have had an interesting owner, pet relationship. When I welcomed him to the family, I remember on the first night I had sat down on the kitchen floor with my sister and we read him stories. We did that because we wanted to make sure he loved us. During the first few years of our friendship, I always took him on walks and constantly made sure to sit down next to him when I watched TV. As I got older my responsibilities, like school and sports, kept piling on to my plate. As a result I had less time to spend with the dog. Soon this became noticeable. He would always hang with my sister in her room or go chill in my Dad’s study—never with me. For some reason, I realized I was spending less time with Hershey but, it never bothered me emotionally. I guess my own selfish actions caused me take Hershey’s presence for granted.
When I entered into my sophomore and junior year of High School, my sister started to prepare to go to college. I didn’t want her to go because I felt like I wouldn’t have anybody to hang with. Nonetheless, my sister embarked on a new chapter at U.G.A. and I was left home with the dog. With my sister gone, I began to realize that I soon would be leaving Hershey too. I didn’t like that thought so I made it my goal to rekindle the relationship I had first had with him. I started to feed Hershey people food, his favorite is grilled chicken, and take him on numerous walks. By the time I left for college, Hershey and I were best friends again. Hershey will always be the dog that taught me to appreciate everybody in my life. I will forever love him for that.