A Girl's Best Friend

A happy, post-bath Polar

We got my dog Polar the weekend before finals my subbie year. My brother and stepdad were both out of town that weekend, and my mom was busy taking care of my little brother, so for the first 3 days he stayed with us I spent basically all day and night with him. We had a lot of bonding time that first weekend and I fell in love with his goofy personality and calm demeanor.

Polar is not your average dog. First of all, he weighs at least 130 pounds which is a lot bigger than the average retriever. He has a huge head and body, but proportionally really short legs. I’ve had people tell me that he looks like a sheep before. He also hates going outside, going on walks, or getting in the car. He, however, loves exploring our yard and carrying around whole trees that we’ve cut down, or trying to take logs out of the burning fire pit (he’s not the smartest dog). He's always super excited to take a bath.

Polar also loves his big sister, Lily. Lily was my brother’s birthday present a few years before we got Polar, and they are total opposites. Lily loves going on adventures, playing fetch for hours in the yard, and riding with people in the car. She’s also only half as big as Polar (a normal sized retriever). The first day we brought Polar home, he fell asleep cuddled next to Lily and they’ve been inseparable since. When one of them has to leave the house for a vet appointment, the other one is anxious and sad until they return. They love to play fight together in the living room, or lay on the floor of the kitchen next to each other.

My favorite thing about Polar is how calm he is. Although he is huge, and could be intimidating to people that don’t know him, he has the sweetest, most laid back personality a dog could have. He lets my little brother sit on him, go down his back like a slide, or roll his toy trucks all over his body perfectly happily. Whenever someone in my family is upset, he walks over and puts his head in their lap to comfort them. He sat with me when I was freaking out while my stepdad removed my stitches. My favorite thing to do is take a break from studying and go hang out with him. His calmness makes my stress go away, and he lets me lie on him like a pillow for as long as I want.

Although Polar isn’t a normal dog, he’s perfect for me and my family and we’re so lucky to have him.



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