Tyerra Rooffener

Dogs are the biggest blessing on this earth. Dogs have forever been my loyal companion, and they’ve always been there for me.

I have encountered many beautiful and intelligent dogs throughout my life, but the dog that has taught me the most and has made me a better person is Jazz. Jazz is the cutest dog on earth. My parents got him for me about six years ago as a birthday present.

My sister had just left for the U.S. and I was all alone. My mom thought it would be a good idea for me to have some company. So she surprised me with a puppy. Jazz quickly became one of my best friends and one of my favorite family members.

Every day when I come home from school, I can hear his excited paws tapping and pushing from the inside of the door, urging me to come in, I can hear him panting and jumping around. When I come through the door, he overwhelms me with nudges and wet slobbery kisses. Even if I was rough on him, he sets aside that fact and proceeds to give me all the love and affection he can offer.

One of Jazz’s favorite thing to do is gaze out of the window at the birds flying and sunbathing. Jazz is the calmness in the midst of the storm; he’s the sunshine in the rain. No matter how loud the atmosphere, Jazz will just gaze out of the window and smile.

He blocks out all the negativity that is around him, and he just focuses on the peacefulness of the scenery and the chirping birds.

Slowly, I began to learn from him. It doesn’t matter if my parents are having a fight, or if I’m just having a horrible day. I’ve learned to block everything out and try to find my happy place. And Jazz is always there to offer me peace and comfort.

I think it’s safe to say that Jazz is one of the toughest and most confident dogs out there. He is the leader of our neighborhood. He doesn’t follow in anybody’s footsteps, and refuses to let anyone touch me or my family without going down with a fight. It’s almost like he’s my guardian angel and is under an oath to protect my family and me no matter the cost.

This lesson is the most valuable of all because without him I wouldn’t be as confident as I am now. Without him, I would be a follower instead of a leader. When I’m at school, I bring out all of my confidence, so my classmates see me as a positive and trustworthy friend.

Jazz teaches me to stay calm, to always be happy and to always be thankful no matter how small the favor is, and to always show people love and affection, yet also to stand my ground and be confident.

One doesn’t have to be a teacher or parent to teach someone lessons, because the greatest and most meaningful lessons are taught from the unexpected things around you.