Each year, as November approaches, many people find themselves thinking about the things and people they’re grateful for. Things like their job, their house, their mother, their father, and their grandparents. There are hundreds of things that you could be thankful for. As childish as it may sound, I am grateful for my three dogs, Rolland, Highland, and Daisy.

Rolland is the largest of the three, being a golden retriever. His wide, brown puppy eyes always make me smile, no matter how upset I may be feeling. Rolland’s attention-seeking personality gives him a clingy but adorable persona; his favorite thing to do is shove his snout under your arm, looking for pets and scratches. Despite his larger size compared to the other two dogs, he has always been gentle and forgiving, allowing the other two to bark, snap, and growl at him. However, Rolland refuses to give up playing with either dog, and he loves to lick and clean Highland with his tongue every night, though he might get nipped in the process.

Highland is the embodiment of ‘so ugly he’s cute’. His terrier-mix lineage makes his light brown fur scruffy and stick out in awkward places, and his snaggletooth from his underbite gives him the appearance of a grumpy old man. Unlike Rolland, who is a family dog that loves spending time with all members of the family, Highland has made a connection with me. His tail is always wagging when he sees me, and the way he rolls around on the bed is adorable. Highland also does this little ritual where he will go up to a person and randomly ‘boop’ their leg with his nose, as if to make sure they’re still there. He acts almost like a human, sleeping in late into the mornings, taking his own seat at the dinner table, and growling in annoyance when someone wakes him from his sleep. I often wonder if he actually understands English.

Daisy can be described as a literal ball of fluff. She is a toy poodle, weighing only about three pounds. She has curly, fawn-colored fur, and eyes that are as black as boba pearls. Despite her small size, she dominates the other two dogs, driving them away with just a growl. She definitely favors my mom, though my older brother will come in second, and I come in third. The way she sprints to my mom after sighting her across the house is so endearing, her little legs going at maximum speed to reach her. She has a little obsession with pom-pom balls and tissues, as those are the only things she can really play with. Daisy spends most of her day lounging on someone’s lap or being carried in someone’s arm.

All three dogs have a huge impact on my life, with the ability to make me laugh or cry. They motivate me to wake up in the morning and help me sleep at night. They clean my tears from my face with licks and kisses, and wag their tail in happiness when I play with them. The sheer joy on their faces is something I treasure, and I strive to be the cause of it. I am grateful for the time I will spend with them, and will cherish every moment of it forever.