I like to think that I have always been an animal person and admired animals. However, my love for them came from something completely different. When my mom told me that we were adopting a dog, I was overcome with joy. The idea of having a pet of my own was so exciting to my seven-year-old mind. Having a dog to play with and call my own instead of just seeing other people’s pets. I was shown a picture of the soon to be new addition to our family. In the photo I saw an adorable small dog with fluffy fur the color of cream. I was told that our dog was a girl, and that her breed was a Maltipoo. I did not know what a Maltipoo was, but I liked that it had poo in its name. All this information made me even more thrilled at the idea of our new dog.

Two weeks, that’s how long we had to wait until we got to take her home. We began preparing for her arrival, and that meant picking out a name. The only thing that came to my seven-year-old mind was Princess. Looking at the photos, she did remind of a princess, cute and innocent. My mom had something better in mind, Mimi. I liked that name a lot but told my mom that her middle name was going to Princess.

The day finally came to pick up Mimi after what felt like the longest two weeks. It was a Friday and I had to go to school, but I did not mind too much. I knew that when I came home Mimi would be there waiting for me. Nothing could have brought down my mood that day, at least that is what I thought. When the school day finally ended, I ran to my dad’s car, I could not wait any longer. Still panting from the run to the car I asked him if my mom had gotten Mimi. He told me that we would not be getting Mimi for another week. He said it with a smile on his face trying to make the news upset me as little as possible. Apparently, Mimi was still too little to come home with us and we had to wait a little longer. I was able to hold in how truly sad I was until I got home and saw my mom. I broke out into a sob and ran into her arms. At that moment I realized how much getting Mimi really meant to me.

The week passed and we were actually getting Mimi. I was not allowed to go with my mom and stayed home with my dad. It did not bother me, I already waited long enough, a couple hours was nothing. When my mom finally got back with Mimi, I was waiting at the door. I wanted to hold her right away. They told me to sit down and they put her on my lap. She was the size of both of my hands, so soft, and fragile. I fell in love instantly and wanted to hold her forever.

My love for animals came from an appreciation in my own life. Getting Mimi changed my life, she was more than just a pet to me. I always saw her as my sister and cared about her as much as I did every member in my family. Just her presence was enough to make me feel happy. When I went away to college, I would go home every other weekend just to see her. A lot of people never understood why I loved Mimi so much, seeing her only as any other animal. However, to me she was my sister and I would have done anything for her. From the moment we got Mimi, I understood how precious her life was, and therefore how precious all life is. Mimi made me see animals as more than just mindless being. Seeing how poorly people treat them brings pain to my heart, and I want to do anything I can to help them. That is why I chose Environmental Science as major, so that I can help species negatively affect by humans destroying their environment.

I lost Mimi three months ago, but I will never forget her and the impact she made in my life. She played a part into making me the person I am today, and I am happy that I got to grow up with such an amazing girl.