15 years- One Great Friend

So I know I haven't blogged in awhile and boy do I have A LOT to blog about, but I just had to write about this before it gets to be too far away. I want to remember my feelings about it, even though they'll be hard to forget. Yesterday, May 15, 2012, I lost one of my best friends. Jasmine has been our dog since she was a puppy, 15 years, and she has been there for us through everything. She was such a mild tempered dog that was always so loving and friendly to everyone. She always knew when one of us was upset or down about something and would be there to comfort us and make us feel better. Even when I was sick and laying on the couch, or crying for some reason, she would come over sit down, and just rest her head on my lap until I fell asleep or calmed down.

There was one time I remember in detail. Jasmine had never gone upstairs in our old house because it was always off limits to her. It was where all the bedrooms were and she just slept downstairs. When I was going in to my junior year of high school I had an extensive knee surgery that put me out from soccer for a long time. They had done a lot of bone work and that night I was in a lot of pain. I was trying to crutch up the stairs to get to bed and my mom was walking right behind me to make sure that I didn't fall backwards. Right behind my mom, there was Jasmine. She followed us all the way up the stairs, in to my room, and stood at the foot of the bed while my mom got me situated. She propped my knee up on some pillows and made sure that I was comfortable. Of course I was crying because I was in so much pain, but right when I laid down, Jasmine hopped up on my bed and laid down right next to me. She had never done that before! She never jumped up on the furniture or had even come up the stairs for that matter. She stayed there all night. In the morning, she jumped down and followed me all the way back downstairs. She did this night after night during my recovery. I was going through this very difficult time in my life and she was right there for me.

She was always so excited when I would come home from BYU-Hawaii. She would weave in and out of my legs, and push her head in to my hand just begging for attention. As she got older and sicker she would still get up and greet me at the door even if she didn't have much energy. She would wag her tail and beg for attention and follow us around everywhere. She never licked us and she rarely barked. We would just put our heads together and that's how she showed us that she loved us. Some people may think I'm lame for blogging and being so upset about a dog and if so, I feel bad that they didn't have a relationship with a pet like I did. Jasmine was a member of our family. She was with us for 15 years; I grew up with her. She was a perfect example of how to love people unconditionally, even when we were pushing her away because we were complaining about how bad her breath smelled.

Some things I'm going to miss:

• Hearing her nails on the floor
• Almost tripping over her because she would stand so close
• Hearing her little noises when she's dreaming
• Listening to her collar jingle as she picks her head up to see who it is
• Just hearing her breathing when she's asleep on the floor
• Having her follow me around everywhere 
• Her comforting me through all my hard times
• And many more

I loved this dog and I always will. I know she's happy now that she's not sick and I'm sure my Grandma Waite is taking care of her and feeding her like crazy! I can't wait to see her again. I love you Jasmine.