Growing up as the oldest of three children was a tough task because the expectations of being the senior sibling was a difficult thing to process. Honestly, I couldn’t have done it without my first dog, Gavin.
You’re probably asking, how does a dog teach you how to become an older sibling? Well, Gavin was a Chocolate Lab/German Shepard, and he taught me many life lessons that stick with me to this day. Bottom line, he was like the older brother or sibling I never had. The biggest lesson I took from him was “fighting through adversity.” Gavin persevered through two battles with cancer, even though he didn’t make it the second time around. The first bout was a surprise because he wasn’t supposed to survive, yet he lived another two wonderful years. Even to this day, I carry with me the way Gavin dealt with adversity. But I wouldn’t understand the true value of that lesson until I got older.
One of my favorite movies is All Dogs Go to Heaven. In the 1989 film, Charlie the German Shepherd reminds me of Gavin, not because he’s a German Shepard, but because of what Charlie stood for in the movie. When there was no possible hope in the end, Charlie found a way to battle through adversity.
It’s been over ten years now since Gavin passed away. I truly still feel his presence every day in my dog, Ty. Ty is a nine-year-old Golden Retriever that loves everybody around him. We got Ty when my sister was diagnosed with Narcolepsy. This was four years after Gavin passed. Ty is an intelligent canine and he learned how to do countless things at an early age. For example, my sister would take naps during the day due to her Narcolepsy. Whenever one of us said “go wake Maiya,” Ty would bolt upstairs, open my sister’s door and jump onto her bed, licking her awake. That’s what truly makes Ty so special.
I currently have two dogs, Ty and Lucy. Ty is quite handsome with a sleek coat of golden fur. As smart as he is, he sometimes lacks common sense. He always wants attention by either nosing you, asking to pet him, or jumping on your lap if you’re sitting down with every one of his 85 pounds. Every time he gets the chance to leave the house, he scurries out the door, ready to go on adventure, even if we’re just walking around the neighborhood.
Lucy is a Miniature Poodle that has soft, brown, curly hair. She is very loud and obnoxious and doesn’t stop barking when a guest enters the house. She’s always greedy, wanting more than what we give her even though she weighs 15 pounds. If I was to compare her to another species, it would be a cat that always wants to be independent. Even though she can be rambunctious, demanding and dramatic, we still love her for who she is.
All of which brings me back to Gavin, who passed when I was only seven years old. I will always cherish those memories I had with him in my early childhood days, and I know they will stay with me forever.
It is such a privilege to share my story with visitors to this National Dog Show website, because this is an audience that understands these feelings. My internship this Spring semester of 2024 enables me to work on projects surrounding the big event every November at the Expo Center in Oaks, PA. We’re promoting ticket sales here on the website and reminding people to watch along with the audience of 20 million on NBC Thanksgiving Day.
We all have our Gavin’s, our Ty’s and our Lucies and the bond that we share with the National Dog Show audiences is as special as the dogs in our lives.