Nakama (best friend in Japanese)

Everyone has some sort of best friend, whether it’s a pet or a person. Like they always say, a dog is a mans’ best friend. To me, that is always true. Ever since I was little, I’ve always had a dog, and they’ve always been a good friend.

When I was 13, we had no dogs in the house for a time, so it was hard when I was going through something. My mom thought I should have a dog, so she got three dogs. One was a runt, with curly black fur. She was part Shcnauzer, Shih-tzu, Korgy, and black lab. The second dog was the first dog’s brother with the same mixes, but he looked totally Korgy and black lab. The 3rd dog already had a name, which was Sasha, so we kept her name. She was bulldog, pitbull mix, with short light brown fur. She had leg problems and ear problems, so it’s hard to care for her. I chose to take the first dog. I didn’t know what to name her, so it took me a few weeks, and I called her “miss” for a few weeks. The second was named Koda by my sister. My dog was timid, so she did not go anywhere by herself. To help her get used the area, I would carry her around on my head. She was 6 weeks old, and was so tiny. I eventually named her Takama, which I thought meant “best friend” in Japanese, but I found out it meant “heaven’s field”. I kept it anyways. I meant to name her Nakama, which means “best friend”. Whenever I’ve gone to sleep or was upset she would lay right next to me. It always made me feel much better having her around. I loved to share my food with, so she’s kind of used to getting fed by me. However, I don’t give her food all the time so that she would not get used to having food all the time. Whenever I was bored, she was always fun to play with. She loves to play fetch. Three and a half years later, she grew up to be an energetic and playful dog. I got her out of being timid, and she loves to play with other dogs. She even sleeps right next to me and knows how to shake, play dead, sit, lay down, and agility. The best part of having her is that if I want to talk to her about something, she does not say a negative thing back! I know dogs don’t talk, but at least Takama doesn’t know how to say anything rude. Takama has always been very adept at learning, and I’m really glad that she’s grown to be who she is today. Takama is very friendly with other people and dogs, and the best part is that she does not bite or scratch. She is super friendly. She is the greatest friend I’ve ever had, and there’s no one who can replace her.