My First Friend By: Sofia Ilardi

A first dog is one of the most precious figures in any child's life and is often unforgettable. I was lucky enough to have my Pitbull mix dog, Porkchop, as my first pet. My parent's got him from a shelter in Boston 2 years before I was born. At the time he was still only a puppy, and there was not a mean bone in his body. When I was born, he and I were always the greatest duo. 

We really did grow up together. It was with him when I picked up my habit of feeding dogs lots of food under the table. Porkchop was always playing with my sister and me, whether it was running around outside or watching tv inside. My mom always told me stories of when I would use his tail as a teething ring or stand on him like a step stool, but he didn't mind. He is the nicest dog that I have and will ever meet.

As he was getting older (around the age of 10) he started developing lots of health problems including partial blindness, partial deafness, and allergies. Eventually, doctors found a tumor in his liver from cancer, and he got surgery to take it away. However, through all of this, he was still the same dog my parents got years ago in Boston.

While he was a dog, Porkchop really was my best friend. He and I were just inseparable. Whenever I was sad or upset, I would always talk to him because even though he was a dog, I knew he was there for me. When I felt like I had nobody around me, he was always there. He was the most loyal dog anybody could ask for.

Unfortunately, we had to put Porkchop down in June of 2018 at the age of 15. That night, as his last meal, we got him a cheeseburger and chicken nuggets from McDonald's which he thoroughly enjoyed. It was sad to say goodbye, but we knew he was going to a better place. Through the years of his life, Porkchop was always there for everybody in the family. I grew up with him, and I will never be able to forget him.