I pressed my nose against the glass, eagerly staring at the humans, wondering which one would choose me. It was finally my turn to be shown in the front window, making it easier for them to find me. I sat up straight and tilted my head slightly to the left. I was trying my very best to go home today.
It seemed hours had passed until a particularly small and loud human stumbled into the store. It clumsily ran up to the window and pointed its stubby fingers at me, making squealing sounds. Seconds later, two larger humans soon appeared behind the loud one.
They gazed at me and the other puppies, reaching their large hands towards me and before I knew it I was dangling in the air. “Oh, I just love her white paws and cute little black nose,” exclaimed the medium sized human.
I sniffed them to properly get to know them and introduce myself. I was being cradled by the largest human. It was warm and soft and scratched me behind my ears in just the perfect spot. I licked its hand to show my approval. By then, I was already in love with the human.
I was handed off to the medium sized human who planted a  kiss on my head and held me at arm’s length to better examine me. I knew I could trust these humans and live the rest of my life providing pure joy to them. At last, I was slowly lowered to reach eye-level with the small and loud human. It giggled and poked me with one of its fingers. I was intrigued with its playful behavior, and knew we’d be growing up together.
It had been a few days of no human interaction and I was getting worried I’d never make it out of here alive. I was plopped back down onto the soft newspaper shreddings and the humans disappeared around the corner. I was anticipating their return, hoping they would be holding a packet of papers. They came back and pointed at me, I was the chosen one.  I knew as soon as I saw the white paper peeking out of their hands, I’d be going home soon. I yipped with joy and pranced around, frantically wagging my little tail.
A few minutes later I was carried to a small room where they conducted many strange tests on me. I had to retrieve a small bouncy ball, which became oddly addicting. I then had to spit it out for the humans who would throw it in another direction. A couple times they forgot to let go of the ball which completely confused me. It’s fascinating how simple minded these humans are.
They forced a collar on me and attached a long rope to the end  and held to guide me. Of course I protested, but then I soon realized it was kind of fun to chase the rope in circles. I began to grow tired and dozed off.
I was jolted awake by a sudden jerking movement. I slowly opened my eyes, and to my astonishment I was sitting in the lap of the medium sized human. We weren’t in the test room anymore, but in a moving metal box.
The human noticed I had woken up and greeted me with a smile. I looked down and noticed I still  had that rope tied to me, and the humans were holding the end of it. I jumped out of the metal box, and took in my surroundings.
I’ve never once taken a step outside, and I didn’t know what to make of it. I was standing on soft green ground that tickled my paws when I moved around. I pointed my nose up didn’t see the low ceiling of the shelter, but a clear blue sky, dotted with white puffy shapes.
I had gotten caught up in my new environment and realized that the small human had been awfully quiet recently. I glanced at the large human and saw the little one hiding behind it. She poked her head out to get a look at me and waved her pudgy hands.

I was taken along a small path that was lined with pale pink roses. I stopped along the way to smell the sweet fragrant flowers and settled down next to them. I felt a gentle tug at the end of the rope, and looked up to see the medium sized human closely inspecting me. “Daniel”, she said, “we need to decide on a name for her. I was thinking Sadie or Lily.”
He picked me up from the ground and propped  me up in his arms. “If she likes those roses so much, why don’t we name her Rosie?”
“Rosie it is”, she replied. I felt a sudden burst of joy as soon as they spoke those very words. I finally have a real name. Rosie, it fits me perfectly.

I’ve decided living here isn’t so bad at all. I sure do miss my siblings, but here I get all the love and attention I want! I no longer have to just chase my tail to play, even though I have to admit, is still always fun to do.
I have my very own special food and water bowls, and a plush bed to sleep on, which means no more newspaper shreddings for me.

It’s been a while since my first day home and I think it’s safe to say that I love my humans. I finally learned what they call each other, so I can stop calling them by their size.  
We created a daily routine that I follow very strictly. Like clockwork, when I wake up I go outside and do my business, I come back inside to eat, I nap, and repeat this process until the humans go to bed.
Unlike any normal day, today is a very special day, a snow day. I don’t know exactly what snow is, but big sister is filled with glee to see the snow, so I know it must be pretty great.
Looking through the foggy windows I see a thick layering of white covering every inch of the back yard. The humans are wrapped up in layers upon layers of clothes, waddling around the house gearing up to go outside.
I lead the group and I eagerly pull on the leash. When  they open the back door I’m greeted with a rush of icy cold wind. I lift  my nose up and sniff a few times, feeling the cold air fill my body  as I breathe  in.  My paws sink into the whiteness, letting the coldness seep into my fur.
“I think she loves it!” exclaimed Mom. She couldn’t have been more right. I pounced onto a fluffy area of snow and dug my nose into the ground, making the snow cling to my whiskers and the tips of my ears. My tail was wagging high in the air as I kept my face buried in the light snow.
I galloped through the snow and raced around big sister. She shuffled around in her puffy clothes and had a goofy grin on her face. It looks like we both have a thing for snow.

I wake up to the quiet chitter chatter of my family, as they lay in their beds. I trot over to mom and dad and see they’re staring at her round belly. She sees my nose nudging their door open and calls me over.
“Rosie’s in for a surprise in a couple of days. Wonder if she already knows”, Mom whispered. Knows what? I walked over to her and gently poked her belly with my nose. “I bet she can’t wait to be a big sister,” cooed Mom.

A week later…

I sat excitedly in front of the door, awaiting my owners to come back home. They’ve been gone for a bit, and they seemed a little flustered when they were leaving.
I heard footsteps approaching, and shushing noises coming from outside. The door squeaked open and in came Mom and Dad along with something else. It was small and bundled up from head to toe.
Whatever it was, looked just like them, except incredibly small and bright pink. All of a sudden it let out an ear splitting wail and squirmed like a little worm inside of its blanket. Mom tiredly picked it up and began gently rocking it side to side in her arms.
Big sister walked up and eagerly asked to hold the little bundle and crouched down next to me. “Say hello to your little brother!”.

“Happy birthday, Rosie!”, cheered my family. Today I’m turning six in human years, but as a dog I’m about the age of mom and dad. That means I’ve had my fair share of experiences as a dog so far.
I remember the first time I saw my family and how lucky I felt when I got to go home with them. I remember watching my big sister grow up, and getting a baby brother. I remember my very first time playing in the snow, and that I’m sure I’ll never forget.
We gathered around a table and I patiently sat there while they sang their traditional “day of birth” song, longing to eat my special birthday cake. I couldn’t wait any longer, lunging myself towards the cake and ate it in one bite. A happy birthday indeed.

I sat panting on the cool grass and was wishing it wasn’t so hot outside. The stubborn heat was making me tired, and my legs felt like they were tied down with weights. I walked as far as I could into the shaded area of the backyard to wait for someone to let me in.
I could feel my heart pounding faster and faster and my breaths shortening, becoming rapid and shallow. I began to think something might be wrong with me, but who was there for me to tell? I closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep, hoping time would pass faster that way.
When my eyes slowly fluttered open and I looked up to see mom worriedly staring down at me. She tried calling me to get up, but my legs just wouldn’t budge, so dad had to carry me into their car to go get help.
I don’t remember much of what happened after that, except for seeing my mom hiding her face in her hands, shaking her head back and forth. They took me to the vet to see if I had something called a heat stroke, but they found I had something much worse than that.
Mom and dad never told me exactly what I had. I knew it made them sad so I put on my brave face and wagged my tail to show I was happy, or at least pretending to be.
Mom told me I have six more months. I’m not sure what will happen after six months, or even how long a month is, but until then I’m going to relive my favorite moments just one last time. So the proper thing to do is to have the best six months a dog has ever lived.
I obviously can’t talk to my family, but somehow I convinced them to take me places I loved, and to spend time with the people I loved. My list is essentially this: 1.Eat a piece of birthday cake 2. Make a doggy friend 3. Ride in a car with my head sticking out the window, 4. Play in the snow 5. Show my family how much I love them.A week later…

Phase 1 of my bucket list is in full swing. I have thoroughly planned out all of my excursions, and have a detailed itinerary. I will accomplish eating a birthday cake in approximately three weeks when big sister is turning nine. As soon as she closes her eyes to blow air on the little sticks on fire, I’ll swoop in and steal a bite of the delicious cake. I hope they don’t get too mad at me, but they’ll understand. What other choice does a dog have when it only has six more months? I still don’t know what will end or start when six months is over, but I have a feeling my family does. Why won’t they tell me?

Phase 1 - Birthday Cake
“Close your eyes, Madi!”, exclaimed mom. She slowly and carefully walked over to the table with the tastiest looking cake I’ve ever laid my eyes on. I sat right next to big sister and poked my head up just enough so it reached eye-level with the cake. Keeping a close eye on it, I waited for them to say “make a wish” to launch my attack. Right as big sister scrunched her eyes closed I swiftly got a bite of the sweet buttery cake and ducked under the table before anyone could notice.
I was in pure bliss! The last morsel of frosting stuck onto the tip of my nose. I better save that for later, I thought to myself. Just a minute later I heard Madi gasp and yell my name. I peered out from under the table, guilty looking up at her. She furrowed her brow, but seconds later her face broke into a grin. She pat my head and offered me another bit of cake! Phase 1, birthday cake, accomplished.

Phase 2 - Make a friend
Dad and I were on our usual morning walks, and today I decided was the day to make one final friend. Every day we follow the same route which winds through a grassy area, and passes multiple houses. I spotted a very nice looking dog that lived in the house right next to the grass. We walk past it every morning, but Dad never lets me stop there. I created a strategy to give me enough time to introduce myself to the dog living at that house. It stands in the front yard, but is locked behind a wire fence. If I start going to the bathroom in front of their house, Dad will be forced to stop and pick it up and safely put it in a little bag. While he is busy with that, I will become acquainted with the dog. I will place my favorite ball right through the opening in the fence as a peace offering. The dog cautiously picked up the ball, and dropped it back at my feet. We sniffed each other’s rear ends and stared for a couple seconds. Done. I made a friend.

Phase 3- Ride in a car
This plan was a little ambitious, but I think I’ll be able to pull it off. Every few weeks my family and I go to the park together and ride in the cramped car. I always ride in the back of the car where there are no windows, so I’ll have to find a way to sit up front with big sister and little brother.
If I lay where their feet are, mom and dad won’t see me, and won’t make me move to the back… that is only if I’m good enough at hiding. I decided to go through with my plan and I was unsuccessful at first, but halfway through the ride, I made a risky climb over the seats to get to the front. Big sister, if you’re reading this, I apologize for stepping on you to get to the window, it was very urgent.
I jammed my paw onto the little button that controls the window, until it went all the way down. Mom and dad looked back at me, but decided it was futile to send me to the back. So I stuck my head out of the moving car and closed my eyes to enjoy the serenity of it all. I let my tongue droop out, and felt my ears flapping in the wind. I loved the adrenaline rush I got from this, imagining I was flying up high in the sky. My other favorite part of the open window is that I get to “people watch”. I peer into the cars besides us and smile at the drivers, or the fellow dogs with their heads out. Mission three, accomplished.

Phase 4 - Play in the snow
Where we live, the first snowfall usually comes after the day of feasting, or as my family calls it Thanksgiving. As soon as I saw the specks of white drifting from the sky, I felt a flutter of excitement and dread at the same time. Since it’s already snowing, that meant that it’s been at least a few months since the incident over the summer. I admit I feel a bit more sluggish these days.
I can’t jump as high as I used to, or run as fast as I could when I was first brought home to this family. I don’t know if my family has just been talking in whispers lately, but now I can only hear muffled sounds. Six months is approaching and I think I understand what is happening to me.
When mom said I had six months left, that meant six more months until I just stop being me. Until I stop jumping, running, and breathing. Six more months until I die. As a dog, I don’t quite grasp the concept of death. I know that it’s like taking a nap, except you never can wake up. Where will I go after I die? Will my family miss me?
I try to ignore the fact that my days are slowly slipping away from me, so I try to focus on the positive aspects of life. I have every second until then to enjoy being a dog, and to enjoy being surrounded by the people I love.
Little brother distracted me from my gloomy thoughts to play our favorite game. He tries to hide from me, and waits for me to find him so he can pet me, and then run off to another hiding spot. I’m not sure if he knows that covering his face so he can’t see me, but I still see him doesn’t work, but I’ll never tell him. I wouldn’t want to break his little heart like that.
After a few minutes of that, I decided it’s time for my snow day. If you couldn’t tell already, I’m a pretty smart dog, so I grabbed big sister’s coat and snow boots and dropped them at her feet. She seemed to understand my message and happily agreed to play in the snow with me.
We braced ourselves for the cold, and took our first few steps outside. The sun was shining brightly onto us, and the air was fresh and brisk. The cushiony layer of snow created a white cover over the tops of houses and trees. I found tiny footprints that belonged to a mouse, and carefully traced the path around the yard. Traces of snow clung onto my nose and eyebrow whiskers.
Big sister lightly tossed a handful of snow into the air, and I tilted my head up to feel the soft specks of ice fall back onto the ground and my face. As much as I loved the snow, I equally loved running into the warm house, and snuggling up with my family.
Being in the snow made me feel a little melancholy, because I was thinking back to the very first time I got to experience this. I was a lot smaller, curious, and naive. I had my entire life ahead of me.
After we headed inside, I collapsed onto the couch and took a long nap to recover from the tiring activity of playing in the snow. Phase four, accomplished.

The fifth, and final phase - Show my family I love them.

This task is by far going to be the easiest to complete, because I don’t have to change or do anything that I don’t  do already. I already show them unconditional love. I have already trusted them, and earned their trust. I just have to make sure they never forget about me, because after all I was their very first dog.
Being a family’s first dog is a huge responsibility, and I believe I did a job well done. I can’t imagine what my life would have been like if I was never brought home to this family. Every second spent with them, I will never forget.

It’s been about six months and I’ve accepted what will happen to me. I don’t want my family to be too devastated when they see me. I’ll just go in my favorite hiding spot under the tree outside and close my eyes. And when I fall asleep I’ll be waiting to see them again in the future.