![\"Michelle's](\"https:\/\/vetmed.tamu.edu\/ambassadors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/55\/2018\/07\/michellestimmy2_400x286.jpg\")
This is my family dog, Timmy.<\/p>\nThis is my family dog, Timmy.<\/p>\n
Every time I visit my parents’ home in Hurst, I can always rely on him to greet me as if I have been gone for a century when it\u2019s really only been a week. It\u2019s definitely cold days like these when I miss his warm dog cuddles and appreciate how my furry companion has improved my life!<\/p>\n
Timmy somehow stumbled into my life when I was just 13 years old. A close friend of my family’s had just had a baby and were uncertain about how the puppy would do around a newborn, so they decided to surrender Timmy and offered him to our family. Worried about the time constraints and responsibilities of raising a puppy, my parents, of course, said “No!”<\/p>\n
But, somehow, Timmy still managed to get into my duffel bag and made it home with us that same night. It took a lot of dedication and puppy-training classes for Timmy to be the good dog that he is today, but I loved growing up with him and every challenge along the way!<\/p>\n
The thing I value the most about raising a dog is that they teach you responsibility and empathy. Caring for Timmy forced me into a position where I had to consider the needs of another living being over my own. Pets, obviously, cannot vocalize their wants and needs, and, therefore, owners must rely on their pet\u2019s nonverbal cues to determine what to do. Growing up with Timmy, I was able to discover the importance of human-animal bond, and his existence in my life solidified my passion to become a veterinarian.<\/p>\n
Timmy is now 15 years old and still going strong. He enjoys staying healthy with my parents through their daily walks. He has definitely lived an adventurous life and has managed to put a smile on our faces every step of the way!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
This is my family dog, Timmy. Every time I visit my parents’ home in Hurst, I can always rely on him to greet me as if I have been gone for a century when it\u2019s really only been a week. It\u2019s definitely cold days like these when I miss his warm dog cuddles and appreciate […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":104,"featured_media":344,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[2055,2054,2059,2058],"class_list":["post-2559","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-michelle-c","tag-3vm","tag-cvm-ambassadors","tag-human-animal-bond","tag-pet-ownership"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n