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For those who feel lost, for those who feel alone, for those who feel like the weight of existence is too much to bear: get a dog. Or a cat. Or anything that you can love with your whole heart. Because here’s the truth—the love you give will come back to you tenfold, wrapped in fur, wagging tails, purring bodies, and unconditional loyalty. Pets are more than companions; they are living proof of why life, even in its most painful moments, is worth enduring.

Let me tell you about Abella, my dog. She came into my life unexpectedly—a rescue brought home by a former roommate, who eventually left her to me. Literally, not metaphorically, left her to me. It was not my choice that my path crossed Abella’s, she was introduced to me by pure happenstance and coincidence. And in the years since, she has been my only tether to the ground beneath my feet. There have been long swathes of my life when she was the only living soul I interacted with. I don’t mean this hypothetically, I mean this literally; for months, years maybe, Abella was my only earthly companion. In moments when depression and anxiety crushed me under their weight, she kept me going. She reminded me that I mattered to someone.

Abella is in the midst of severe health problems. The prognosis isn’t clear yet, but lymphoma, a type of cancer that affects lymph nodes, is likely. She has two large masses on her chest and an array of other symptoms that make simply being alive a daunting challenge for her. Tomorrow, she’ll receive an ultrasound to see if the disease has spread to her spleen. If it has, her fate will be sealed, and I’ll lose her far too soon. She’s only six or seven years old, still young by any measure. But in these past few weeks, as I’ve grappled with the possibility of losing her, I’ve come to realize just how profound her impact on my life has been.

That’s the magic of pets. They become everything without asking for anything. They greet you with excitement when you come home, even if you’ve been gone for five minutes. They curl up beside you when you feel like the loneliest person in the world. They don’t care about your flaws, your mistakes, or the parts of yourself you try to hide from others—they just love you.

And when they go, as all pets inevitably do, they leave a void so massive it feels impossible to fill. That’s the deal, isn’t it? The yin and yang of it all. Without ultimate suffering, how could you appreciate ultimate joy? Pets give us their everything, every second of their short, beautiful lives. They teach us to love, to laugh, and to be present in the moment, even when the moment is fleeting.

There’s a reason so many people credit their pets with saving their lives. In their quiet, unassuming way, they remind us why life is worth living. They anchor us when we’re adrift, comfort us when we’re broken, and love us when we feel unlovable. And though their loss rips the heart from our chest, their presence gives us the strength to keep going.

So if you feel lost, if you feel alone, consider this: go to a shelter, find a creature who needs you just as much as you need them, and pour your love into them. They’ll return it in ways you never thought possible. Yes, it will hurt when they go, but that’s the price of living. The price of joy is the inevitability of grief. But oh, what a joy it is to love and be loved by a pet.

Abella has taught me this. Whatever happens tomorrow, her impact on my life will never fade. Pets remind us what it means to be alive, and for that, I will always be grateful.