A Man And His Bratwurst (Testimonial)

I grew up with no pets. Well, maybe a goldfish that I won from the fair. You could say that I am pretty disinterested in them. I am not scared of pets, nor do I have any ill feelings, just was always disinterested in having a pet. I mean, I liked other people’s pets. They were fun to play with for a few minutes before I decided to do something else.

As I have grown older, those feelings multiplied. I started working and became an independent person. Picking up and taking off wherever I wanted, whenever I wanted. As I got older, I was pressured by my family to start one of my own. That thought sickened and I would respond, “I don’t even want to take of a dog, let alone a human child.”

All those feelings changed over the course of a few years. I was going through some rough patches and went to see my doctor about how I was feeling. I was diagnosed with General Anxiety Disorder and Depression. As a person who is totally averse to taking any drugs, my doctor asked me to consider getting an emotional support animal. (At this point, I do not know which I opposed more.)

I read some more about how animals can mitigate emotional disorders so I decided to give it a shot. I went down to the local animal shelter and settle on a little dashchund. I didn’t know much about dogs and the person at the place said since they don’t have much hair, they are somewhat easy to take care of. Perfect. So I took home this little pup, which I named Bratwurst, and started looking up all the ways to properly take care of the dog.

Did my life change for the better!

Before this little Bratwurst came an integral part of my life, I was having trouble getting out of bed and doing simple chores. After a few weeks, I started to warm up to this companion sharing the household with me, looking forward to spending time with him. Now, that is not to say I was completely cured, but all my feeling lessened.

I can say the reason I was able to function was because of this little dog. I do not know if it was his stupid little face or the fact that I had to take care of his stupid little face, but I started to lighten up. Bratwurst gave me a reason to get out of bed and get back on schedule. I enjoy taking my little dog out in the world to enjoy the sun and get some exercise. All this happened because my doctor told me to invest in a dog as my mental health pet.

There is a lot of talk about how emotional support animals should not be tolerated, but in my case, it was not just tolerated, but absolutely necessary to live a healthy life. I know if may not be common place to request that my dog travel in an airplane with me or take him to the grocery store. I understand those notions. But for me, there is no way I can continue without my Bratwurst. I miss my routine when I am not with my dog. I feel terrible when he is not around. I need him in my life as Bratwurst is my anchor.

So far I have successfully lived with Bratwurst as my emotional support animal. I know there are some places I cannot visit and I am okay with that. I just am trying to get by with a healthy lifestyle and if Bratwurst helps me, then I will continue to have him by my side. I have learned how wonderful dogs and pets can be in your life as they become part of your family.

And maybe in the future, I will answer my family about starting one of my own!