Mia Shields

Like a lot of people these days, I fell in love on social media. I was mindlessly scrolling on Instagram and saw the most adorable picture I have ever seen. He was a little short and very cross-eyed but had the cutest face in the world. The moment I saw his picture, I knew I had to have him. I could picture it already: long walks in the afternoon, naps together after school and binging TV shows together. I could hardly wait to take him home. Only a few days later, I forced my family into the car and down the street to meet Ripley.

If you have not guessed by now, Ripley is a 70-pound bundle of stubbornness, never-ending energy and sometimes joy, also known as a bulldog. My family adopted him about four years ago, and since then, he has become not just our beloved pet, but a family member. 

Despite being our second current dog, Ripley is considered by almost everyone who knows us to be my first personal pet. He sleeps in my room, I take care of him, he follows me relentlessly around my house (sometimes chases if he is feeling extra energetic) and I get the privilege of cleaning all of his messes.

Even though he likes to bark at me when it is his bedtime, headbutt me when he is angry, knock over his toys so I have to clean them up and even bite my hand when I stop petting him, he is my perfect idea of unconditional love. 

Unconditional love is caring for someone without any doubts and without a need for explanation. Pets give the greatest examples of this idea. They can sense when you are stressed, sad or excited, and never hesitate to respond accordingly — whether that is cuddling up next to you or jumping up and down furiously out of pure, blind happiness. 

Sometimes, when you are stressed late at night doing homework, rolling around in bed anxiously for your test the next morning or even just generally annoyed with the world, the best feeling is to have someone not to give you advice, or to listen to your ranting, but just to be there. Just to give you that blank stare of love because they have no idea what dumb and unnecessary thing is making you upset; they just know you are unhappy and want to change that, no matter the situation.

Ripley’s most recent example of this was also one of the most meaningful to me. A few weeks ago, I was out of school sick for about a week. It was the worst I had felt in years, and being contagious, my family had to stay away and my friends could not come to my house. For the entire week, Ripley moved from his usual napping place in my bedroom by dragging his dog bed out to the couch every morning to sit next to me. 

As a sophomore in high school, I know it is hardly the time to start stressing about college, but I cannot help but worry about what I will do without him for four years. Despite his craziness and not-so-occasional harassment of my friends when they come over, Ripley is genuinely a light of my life, and his unconditional love is something I will always cherish.