Scooby and Me

Korrin B.

January 5, 2009 - 2:31 PM

There is nothing quite like a dog movie. There is just something about the loving canine creature that can tickle emotion into anyone's heart. On the first day of the New Year, I went to go see Marley and Me at the theater with my mom. Usually I can hold my tears back during movies, especially if I am in a theater with a bunch of other people. However, despite the fact that the theater was packed that day and despite how hard I tried to stop it, I found tears plummeting down my face like a waterfall during Marley and Me. I've been thinking about my dog a lot lately, so this movie just happened to have perfect timing.

My dog's name is Scooby. She is a mutt that my family got from the pound when I was in sixth grade. Scooby is indestructible. Soon after we got her, she caught the canine parvovirus. The vet said that only half of the dogs that get it live. Scooby got pretty sick, but she survived. Later, Scooby was hit by a car. The first vet we went to suggested that we put her down. However, as we walked out of the animal clinic that day, I stared into her big puppy eyes, that were even bigger from all of the pain killers she was on, and I knew I couldn't let that happen. Scooby took a trip to Santa Rosa and now has a bionic hip and a partially bionic back leg. Another time, Scooby came home from an adventure through the neighborhood with a mysterious, deep puncture wound in her chest. Needless to say, she's fine. Scooby has more personality than any other dog I have met. She's anxious and moody. She's needy and confused. She's loving and loyal. She is one of my favorite parts about coming home from school. This winter break, I realized that more than ever. Marley and Me caused me to start the New Year thinking about the one in my life who has never let me down.

When Scooby was a puppy, she loved to chew things. In fact, she chewed a hole right through our linoleum floor in the kitchen. I knew she was good though and in an attempt to stop my frustrated parents from second guessing their decision to get a dog, I began to train her all by myself. I remember when she finally learned how to sit and how to lie down. I remember sitting with her in the backyard and telling her that I'd never let my parents give her back. Later that year, my parents told me that they were getting a divorce. I look back at that time in my life now and I wonder if I would have made it through without Scooby. Along with me and my brother, my parents had joint custody of the dog - or so went the joke. So, every week I would pack up my things and, with Scooby by my side, switch houses. Eventually, my older brother began to move on with his life and got his own place. Therefore, some nights I would be alone in my big house. However, I wasn't alone because I had her. I had Scooby. No matter how dark it was, Scooby could protect me. One night after Scooby had gotten hit by the car, I came home to find her scared and lying in the middle of the floor. She couldn't get up and had chewed most of her stitches out. Not knowing what to do, I just laid down next to her. I knew that if ever I was hurt and couldn't get up, Scooby would have done the same.

When I moved away to go to school, I wondered if Scooby would forget me. I figured with me gone, she would probably just make a new friend. I wondered if she actually knew how much I loved her. My first trip home got rid of my fears. Even when I left for six months to study abroad in Greece, Scooby still remembered me upon my return. Scooby is always happy to see me when I come home. She is always excited to go hang out with me whenever I ask. She constantly reminds me that a piece of me still belongs in my small Californian town. Time passed and I grew apart from my friends from high school. It got hard coming home and feeling like I had nothing left there, but I have Scooby and I have family. It is amazing how much a small, often not very bright dog can teach a person.

To anyone who has ever loved a dog, I strongly recommend seeing the movie Marley and Me. I hung out with Scooby for the rest of the day after seeing it and cherished every minute. I want to make sure I fully appreciate each of the times when I come home and see her excited, happy face that are left. Although her muzzle may be graying now, she's still my little puppy to me.