By Oriana Garcia

This is my dog, Rocco. He's a Bernadoodle, and the most gentle giant. He is a bundle of energy and a loyal family member. He needs attention, but only allows affection on his terms. He is a drama queen, and I swear, he is on the verge of speaking.

I have a family of dog lovers, but it took over 20 years for us to finally get one of our own. Rocco came into our family because of my dad. My dad was diagnosed with cancer towards the end of 2010, but it was caught in its latest stages. As all dads do, he fought. Chemo, radiation, midnight hospital runs, remission, relapse, clinical trials, holidays in the hospital, remissions, relapses... a pattern that could not have been harder. Among hospital treatments, he was prescribed an extensive medley of pain relievers with severe side effects, of which he combated with more medication. It all took a heavy toll on his body, but more so, his head and his heart. It is common for cancer patients to undergo depressive states, and while medication was one answer, so was Rocco. Doctors had mentioned to us the benefits on having a dog, but among the most stressful things in life, we didn't know how caring for a dog could fit into the mess of an equation. But, we did it, and I could not be more grateful. Rocco was my dad's best friend. After years of pain, my dad was able to become active again. I mean, the pain was still there, but he put Rocco's needs before his, as he did with all of his loved ones. He walked Rocco everyday, played with him everyday, he met amazing friends in our neighborhood because all of our dogs loved to play together, he found so much joy in making Rocco happy. Rocco reciprocated the love. He was my dad's shadow, following him wherever he went - even into the bathroom, haha! Rocco snuggled with my dad's feet when he was at his desk doing work, and he pawed when he needed more cuddles. They had a language of their own. The craziest thing of all is that Rocco knew whenever something was wrong. He could sense when my dad was in pain and needed help, and he would become concerned. Knowing this, my dad really wanted for Rocco to do more than just help him, he wanted Rocco to help others. So, we enrolled Rocco in therapy dog training. All my dad wanted was to see Rocco's picture up at the hospital with the rest of the dogs that would volunteer to visit patients.

My dad passed in July of 2019, finally resting after one hell of a fight. Rocco's spirit always brings me back to my dad. He has been such a blessing to my family. And come on, he is so damn cute!