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His Pet | an account of Ralph by Peter Kang
The thing is huge. Whenever I go over Warren's house, I dread seeing this dog. I'm not afraid of dogs, but the way this large creature likes to approach me and sniff irritates me. The only thing that keeps this big dog away is the noise of a crumpling magazine. Warren told me that his father instilled that sound to induce fear in the dog. I only wish magazines made more noise because once the crumpling stops, the dog is back annoying me again. I guess my grudge towards this dog began when I left my hat on Warren's couch. I left his living room for a moment, and when I came back, I found out that my hat had been chewed up into little bits. One time, I must've done something wrong because the dog turned angry on me and attacked me. It put a whole in my pants and tore a bit of my shirt. I wasn't injured, just scratched up a bit, but I never had a good opinion of the dog since. I think Ralph is too gentle of a name for this dog. A name such as "It" or "Thing" is what I would call it. Why can't they keep dogs in their puppy years? Ralph was so cute only three years ago, but now it's bigger than some of my friends and very heavy looking. I'm not an animal fan, but from my experience with Ralph, I know that dogs are off my list. Perhaps a goldfish or a cat would do. |
Ralph is my pet; my dog to be exact. But obviously, he is more than that. He is my companion, a family member, and my friend. The saying goes "A dog is a man's best friend." Frankly, I don't see how my dog is my best friend at all. My busy life and his unbelievably boring one keep us from spending too much time together. A cheerful welcome and a droopy-eyed goodbye sometimes occasioned by petting, kissing, or wrestling, is about the most time we usually have together.
Yet as much as I don't consider him my best friend, I consider him my best companion, which is very much different. Simply put, he is always around and no matter how corny this may sound, his big droopy ears are always there to listen. Though his response is usually never more than a gaping yawn, a discreet wag of the tail, or even a sloppy kiss,
it well marks his presence, which soothes well.
His life is comprised of nothing much more than sleeping whenever he wants, begging for food, moping around, and barking at neighborhood dogs from the backyard. He gets overjoyed simply at the sound of the garage door opening because of the person and potential playmate that the sound brings into the house. His ecstatic response is many times thwarted, but as much as he is scolded for chewing on slippers, barking too loud, or jumping on guests, he is loved. We marvel at his simple, yet brilliant intelligence and his unendingly original attempts at being noticed. And as much as my mother yells for us to get rid of him, I know that nothing will be the same in our household if he is not around.
To my parents, I guess he is kind of like another child. So in that respect, I guess he is like my little brother, and also my companion. And like a little brother, as much as I yell at him, and as much as I don't consider him my best friend, I still love him. For all these reasons, I believe that when I brought that tiny and cute puppy home from the pet store on my lap in the car, I also brought a new sort of love into our home. We named it Ralph.
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