by Brian Diaz, Staff Writer
Her name was Princesa, she was a Biewer Terrier, and she was the reason my house went from a boring quiet place to a loud and very fun place where I couldn’t wait to get to after school. Unlike the U.S kids, who can spend time hanging outside after school, in El Salvador, I couldn’t hang out after school because there are gangs patrolling the entire neighborhood, making sure no one from another gang was selling in another territory.
So after school, I was always in my house watching movies and playing a lot of video games, which became less exciting over time. Everything changed though when Princesa showed up.
One day while working with my mom, a man showed up with 2 dogs in his hands. We used to often see him carrying puppies that looked rough, but sometimes he was carrying really good dog breeds like pit bulls, doberman or other ones. Those were the ones I wanted, but one day he showed up with a small breed of dog. He started explaining to my mom how they are not that big and really easy to take care of.
I was not interested in that dog at all, she looked in really rough shape, and it looked like she was about to die. My brother on the other hand really wanted it, but my mom ended up denying the offer.
But later that day the man showed up with one of the dogs again and gave my mom a very good offer for the dog, which was 15 dollars, and my mom ended up buying the dog. My brother was so happy, even though I was not very interested in the dog.
That same day the dog looked very tired, and my brother was sad because my mom did not want to spend any more money on the dog. I ended up taking the dog to a vet, and spent some of my own money, but I was not expecting her to recover. They gave her a shot, and shockingly, moments later, the dog was running around and my brother was having a lot of fun with her.
But as time went on, my brother played less often with her, so I started playing with her. I was always saving my lunch money to buy her treats, like good dog food and some toys. We had a big backyard and I was always running around with her, so I was never bored at home. If I was eating she was next to me. One time my mom came home late and found me sleeping on the floor right next to her.
Now I can’t see her anymore. I needed to come to the United States and I couldn’t bring my dog with me, so we ended up giving the dog to one of my mom’s friends. I knew she was going to take good care of her, but it’s sad to think about her now because I don’t know anything about her since my mom no longer talks to this friend. But the memories I had of my dog will always be golden and I shall never forget them, because thanks to her I had fun memories at home.
