***
Six months ago, I wasn't a dog person. I had never been a dog person, and didn't really think I ever would be.
Six months ago, I walked into the Cleveland APL and my life was forever changed.
Six months ago, one little pup went from lonely to can't-leave-you-alone-if-my-life-depended-on-it.
Six months ago, this sweet, sweet boy came home with me:
And suddenly six months ago, I was a dog person.
***
As I type this, my little Enzo is sprawled out on the couch, his small, wrinkled face that I love so much resting comfortably on Josh's lap as he dreams about chasing birds and stealing bits of food off of the counter. I look at him and think of how different my life was before he was around - simpler, easier, quieter. Different, but not better. Definitely not better.
He has changed my life in so many ways, it's insane. In just six short months, he has taught me this:
1. How to be responsible for someone other than myself. As an only child, I have only ever had to worry about taking care of my own needs. But unfortunately, while I can walk to the toilet when I have to pee and pour myself a bowl of cereal when I'm hungry, a dog cannot. There have been many days where I would much rather stay lost in the book I was reading than tend to the dog waiting patiently by the door, but that's all part of the deal. It's not all about me anymore.
2. How to be patient. I'm not a patient person. At all. But when you're dealing with an animal that doesn't understand what the heck "down" means no matter how many times you say it and who can't just tell you exactly why his butt is itching so badly, you learn to be patient. Even if that does involve gritting your teeth more than usual.
3. How to enjoy being outside during crappy weather. For those of you lucky enough to have a fenced-in yard, you don't have the pleasure of walking your dog 100 times a day because he insists he just HAS to go to the bathroom. I never particularly loved putting on 20 layers of clothing and wandering around in a blizzard, but I've learned to actually enjoy these walks. I don't think there is much that is more peaceful than walking through the snow at night as glittery flakes fall through the black sky and everything is still, and it's just you and and your dog and the crunch of your boots. It's pretty blissful.
4. How to be happy. I unfortunately tend to be a bit of a negative person. As much as I've tried to change this in the past, I just couldn't figure out how. I dare you to take one look at that precious little face and see if a smile doesn't instantly cross your face. Dogs are magical like that.
5. How to realize a lot about your fiance. I know Josh probably better than I know myself. I know what he likes, what he hates, how he'll act at different points in the day, the right things to say, the wrong things to say. But seeing how he acts toward our dog makes me see a person I never knew. He has so much love for that little animal and he is not afraid to show it. He gets up before the sun to take him on walks when I'm too tired. He makes sure he always has food and water. He's saved his life more than a few times in the short while that we've had him. He catches his puke in his own two hands. I've gotten a glimpse of what he'll be like as a father, and it just warms my heart and makes me love both of them that much more.
6. How to have so much love in your heart, you don't know what to do with it all. A dog is a lot of work. He is frustrating. He is annoying. He is needy. But none of that matters. Because he is yours, and he just wants to love you. That's all. He is there waiting for you when you come home after a bad day at work. He licks your tears from your face when you cry, wishing them away. He curls up every night in a ball, under the covers, between your legs as you settle down to sleep. He watches you out the window as you pull out of the driveway, and is waiting in that same spot when you come home. As strangers wander down the street in the night, he runs to the window to scare them away with his "ferocious" bark that wakes up the neighbors. He gives you kisses when you ask - and when you don't. He fills your day and your life with a love that is indescribable and irreplaceable, and you wonder how you could ever possibly love something else this much.
And that, my friends, is why dogs change lives forever.
