My dog Jejie will always be a part of me. I think of him night and day. Just last week, I couldn’t get Jejie off my mind. It was like I was reliving that terrible day when all I kept saying to myself was, “I hope that stupid, old mutt dies.” I so regret those words. Maybe if I hadn’t said them, Jejie would still be here.

“Awe Jejie, you stupid dog! You’re useless. Can’t you do anything but sit around like an old man? Maybe do a trick or something? Anything?”

Jejie just sat there and whined. “You worthless dog. I hope you die.” I said it, but truly in my heart I didn’t mean it. I actually loved Jejie very much, but sometimes he could be so lazy. Agitating might be another one.

Then I did something I really regret. I kicked him as hard as I could and he gave out a large yelp and then whined. I felt bad after I did it, but I told myself that it really didn’t hum him that much and so I let it go.

That night I felt a little bit bad about what I did to Jejie, so I made it up to him by allowing him to sleep in my room. What I didn’t know was that this was Jejie’s last night with me. If I would have known that, I would have made it a wonderful last day for him.

That night, my mom and dad went out to dinner and said they wouldn’t be home until morning. So, I was all alone with Jejie.

In the middle of the night, I heard him start to whine, so I told him to be quiet and to go back to bed. He stopped whining for two minutes, but then started back up again. This time I opened my eyes and I couldn’t see anything, including my own hands. I thought to myself, “This isn’t normal.” Something is wrong here.

I popped out of bed to find that I could only grope around. Then, I stubbed my toe. I’m not surprised. Then I realized, “I forgot to turn off the oven after dinner last night.” I went into total shock. My house was on fire.

I went into a state of panic and rushed to the kitchen. I stopped dead in my tracks when saw it was in flames. My heart started to pound and immediately I rushed to my parents’ bedroom to get the phone. The I went out the back door into the fresh, night air to call 911.

The operator picked up the phone and I told him what happened. As soon as the fire fighters got to my house, a thought raced through my head. “I forgot Jejie in the house.” That awful thought kept pounding in my head, but I couldn’t get my body to move. I was frozen and felt like someone else was controlling my body.

Just then a fire fighter carried out Jejie. I rushed towards my dog. I just then had thoughts of telling him how sorry I was about yesterday and how I didn’t care how lazy he was, but that I loved him. Then when I got over to where the man was standing, a horrible thought raced through my head. “Is Jejie dead?” Then I knew it wasn’t possible. He was a tough old thing.

Well, I was wrong. The man said to me, “Is this your dog? I’m so sorry.” I grabbed Jejie’s body and started to cry. I don’t think I ever cried that much in my life. Jejie had died from suffocation. I felt like my heart had been ripped out of my chest.

Even though that was one year, two months, and eighteen days ago, I will always remember Jejie, the dog who saved my life by waking me up with his cries. My ripped out heart had been replaced with something significant. Something that is special that only beloved pet can leave behind.

Even though time had gone by, and my heart is recovering, I still miss Jejie just as much a ever before. What Jejie had left, is a paw print on my heart.