Since I was a little child all I have wanted was a puppy, but could never have one as my parents weren’t ready for the commitment. So for 15 years every birthday candle I blew, every shooting star I saw, every New Year’s eve wishes were about me getting a puppy. And 4 years ago, my family finally got a small pomeranian puppy. His name is Kai. Kai saved my family quite literally. He has pulled me out of a deep depressive episode, helped my dad beat cancer and gave my mom as she says: “a blessing of a second child”. My family and Kai are living back at home, in Kazakhstan, while I am studying in university here. Walking and meeting doggos here in Oxford gives me a feeling of joy and it warms my heart, as it is almost like connecting with Kai through all these kilometres. Kai was a first puppy that anyone in my family had, so I had the opportunity to teach him the day-to-day basics, as well as some new cool tricks. I was not only a guardian to Kai, but I was growing as a person with him at the same time. He is a very beautiful, very smart and very loving dog, even writing about him here makes my eyes water.