The Dog | Teen Ink

The Dog

May 3, 2010
By jjhelgeson SILVER, Anoka, Minnesota
jjhelgeson SILVER, Anoka, Minnesota
7 articles 0 photos 3 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Sometimes friends are good but some of the friends can be mean"


The year is 1999, my family and I, don’t have a lot of money. We live in a farm. All we had was food from the fields.

My name is Jake. I am 13 years old, and I really wanted a dog for Christmas. I was asked what I wanted in the kitchen and that is where the story begins

“Jake Christmas is coming soon, do you want anything?” Mom asked.

“Yes I want a dog,” I explained

“I’m sorry we can afford a dog, why don’t u go grow some food for our family, ok?” mom sighed

“Ok mom,” I sighed.

While I was in the fields growing food I saw dad with a tractor and I asked if I could ride in it when I was done picking up food for the family he said I could.

I rode with dad to my school as soon as he got ready for work.

At school, I went to all my classes and said that I wanted a dog but we were poor

All the teachers were disappointed that I couldn’t get a dog they knew how much I loved animals and they knew what I was going through. Every student in the school was laughing at me except for one who was my friend his name was CJ.

“Hey Jake what’s up?” he asked

“Nothing” I sighed “I hate being poor! Everyday I have to go to the fields and pick food for the whole family and we are short on money and I want a dog but I can’t afford it at all I just hate being poor.”
“Sometimes you have to work our way up to it before you can get what you want” CJ explained

“You know what?” I yelled, “I’m going to get a dog and I’ll make sure I will”

“I was bite by a dog” one of my friends explained to me when I got out of school. I was sure he didn’t because he was really tough

“To get the money I will get a job,” I stormed as I walked away.
So I got a job at a restraunt and I was a waiter. It was only 10 days till Christmas and I knew I would get the money and by the end of the day on my ninth day of working as a waiter I got one hundred and twenty one dollars. I had enough to buy the dog.

I showed the money to my parents, and we bough a beautiful gray Siberian husky.

“What are you going to name it?” mom asked.

“I will name it John!” I yelled in joy

So I trained John to do tricks and taught him where and where not to go to the bathroom. And guess what he listened to every word I said it was amazing!

“You are doing well” mom exclaimed

“I know,” I yelled

Whenever I needed John he would be right at my side, Whenever I was in the fields growing food for the family, whether I was trying to get the sheep back into the barn he would get them in, everywhere I looked her was right there by my side. He was a very good dog and we bonded very well.

When I was getting ready for school mom warned,
“Bring the dog in as soon as you leave, I don’t want him getting sick and having to go to the vet.”
“Ok mom” I yelled as she left
While I was at school one day, I forgot, I left him outside he got a severe cold so we took him to the vet to see if they would save him from death, It turns out they couldn’t and he died when he was eight years old.
I remember the tears we shed and I was sad that he died but I got over it and continued my life.

The author's comments:
This piece was a tribute to a dog of my aunt and uncle's. I decied to write this based on a death of a dog and a story about a man and a man's best friend.

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