By Jayden Mies
Freelance Columnist
Special to the Tribune

There is a special bond formed between people and their pets that lasts a lifetime and brings years of companionship. I was one of those very fortunate boys who got a puppy early on in my childhood. His name was Baylor, and he was a chocolate lab. We got him for Christmas in 2011, and he was only about two months old at the time. At first, my family and I weren’t sure how we would be able to keep up with his young energy, but that chaos only made us love him more.

As I grew up, I grew very close with Baylor. He was very loyal and would follow me around everywhere. I also found comfort in just spending quiet time with him, because he matched my chill and laid-back personality. Any time I needed him, he was there for me.

Baylor wasn’t a perfect dog, as he had several health complications come up in his life. These included severe allergies to almost every type of grass, causing him to lose large amounts of hair, as well as ear infections that never completely went away. However, through these trials, we learned to embrace them, as they were what made him unique. Rather than looking down on him for these, we loved him more for them.

As Baylor got into his teen years, we could tell that he was beginning to lose the energy that he once had. A few accidents left him with a limp in one of his back legs that he had to tend with for the rest of his life, which made it harder for him to get out and exercise.

This past May, I graduated from Pratt High and began to prepare for college at Kansas State University. August came, and I said one of my toughest goodbyes to Baylor. I could tell that he had gotten slower, but I figured it was just his old age catching up to him.

I ended up coming back to Pratt this past Thursday for Thanksgiving Break, and he looked vastly different from the last time I saw him. He had lost a bunch of weight, and he could no longer walk straight. My parents could sense that I knew something was wrong, and so they had to break the news that no boy ever wants to hear: We had to put him down.

I would like to say that I am not much of a crier, but that following day was one of the most tear-filled of my life. I would also like to say that I didn’t cry while writing this, but that would be a lie. Not only was I struggling to grasp the unfortunate reality, but it was so tough seeing him clearly in pain and there being nothing I could do about it. We ended up doing it later that afternoon, when I said goodbye to one of my closest friends.

When I think about Baylor, I don’t like to remember him by those final moments of him lying in the veterinarian’s office, almost on his last breath. I like to remember him by the things that he loved doing. He loved to roll around and play on the grass, even though he knew he was allergic to it. He loved to walk down to our pond and take swims, even though he knew that we would have to spend lots of time trying to dry him off afterwards. Most of all, he loved spending time with our family and showing us his affection.

Baylor showed all of us what it looks like to give unconditional love, no matter what’s going on in life. Although it is extremely tough to walk into his room and see an empty dog bed, I know that he is in a better place now, running freely and rolling around in all the grass he wants. I am thankful he is at peace, and I am thankful for the lifetime of good memories I have been able to share with Baylor.