College Allie had a friend (Adult Allie still has this friend), College Christine.

College versions of Allie and 'Stine were not the most responsible or thoughtful nineteen year olds on the planet. Unless you were there to waive a bottle of Malibu rum or a pack of Marlboro 27s in our faces, we were not interested in you.

Unless, of course, you were a tiny puppy who was available for purchase on the internet.

Yep. You guessed it. College Allie and College Stine hatched a plan to work maximum hours at our part-time job, cash in our parents and siblings CDs and video games at Strawberries and FunCoLand (sorry family!), and default on booze payment to our older friends while we scraped together a grand between the two of us.

And then, like only two ridiculously trusting girls would, we sent off said grand in a money order to Florida. Two weeks later; our babies arrived via US Air at Logan Airport.

And we fell in love.





Diego and Lola went everywhere with us that summer. Our parents were obviously less than thrilled with their respective daughters; both home on summer break from college for the first time ever. But the annoyance with the purchase soon gave way to happiness with the situation. Diego was the best dog. Like, ever.

Somewhat needless to say, Lola and Diego did not come to college and live in our dorms with us, as initially conceived. Our moms, Gayle and Joyce, adopted Diego and Lola, respectively, and gave them better homes than all the dorm rooms and keg parties and tiny apartments we would have exposed them to.

But Diego was the constant. Whenever I came home from college for holidays, or just to do laundry and (years later) have a gin and tonic with my dad, he would run out the front door and pee himself as soon as I got out of my car. No one has ever been that excited to see me in my life.

I'm not into the sadness of relaying the details, but after eight years of being an absolutely amazing family pet, Diego's trachea collapsed, and had to be put to sleep recently. His death devastated my family in ways I still can't comprehend. I remember being twenty and home from school and cuddling with him in my childhood bedroom. Saying "I love you!" to him in a sing-song voice and thinking he already knew it. Diego represented home in every way to me throughout college and my professional life thereafter. He brought my parents more joy than I ever anticipated, and I loved him even more for that.

So, rest in peace, my little guy. You meant more to me than words can say.