The Love of My Life Has Four Legs

The Love of My Life Has Four Legs
This post was published on the now-closed HuffPost Contributor platform. Contributors control their own work and posted freely to our site. If you need to flag this entry as abusive, send us an email.
Harrison Jones, http://harrisonjonesphoto.photoshelter.com/

It was the only time in my life that I’d experienced love at first sight. There she was with those big brown eyes staring at me from my computer screen. Eyes with a depth and humanity that I hadn’t seen before. And those short little legs! She was the absolute cutest creature I had ever seen in my life. Right then and there, I knew we were meant to be, and that it would be a love affair for the ages.

For seven years, I had a beloved dog named Gena. She was part Chow, part German Shepherd, and my best friend. We adopted her from a bad situation and the first few nights she was with us, I didn’t think it would work out. She growled and barked a lot, and with two small children, I was concerned about safety issues. But, underneath all that bravado was a sweet, gentle soul who had been through a lot. Within a week, I was in love, and she became my protector and confidante.

Five years later, Gena had to have back surgery, and we paid an exorbitant amount of money to have it done. Yes, people thought we were crazy to spend that kind of money on a pet, but she was our family. We were lucky enough to be able to do it, and so we did. She recovered nicely, but within two years, she passed away. She stopped eating on a Monday and passed away the following Sunday. Gena was walking out the hall one last time to find me, and she dropped right there. I never had a chance to say goodbye.

To say I went into a deep mourning is an understatement. I was gutted. For those of you that don’t have dogs, you will think I’m crazy. But, for me, dogs were the most amazing creatures on this planet. Ever since I was a small child, I’ve adored all animals. I grew up wanting to be a veterinarian, until I realized I could never euthanize a living being, even for its own good. At 13, I became a vegetarian, not wanting any creature to die so that I could eat. Animals were a part of me. We had pets growing up, and I always had deeper connections to them than any person.

My house was so empty after Gena’s passing. I missed the sound of paws on my kitchen floor. I missed her kisses and how she followed me around the house. My heart was breaking, and I wasn’t sure what to do. I felt like I was unfaithful to her if I got another dog, but I knew I had to. So, I started browsing Petfinder to find local dogs that needed homes. About four weeks after Gena left this world, that face I spoke about before. The one with the brown, soulful eyes came right out of my screen and grabbed my heart. She was a Corgidor, half Corgi, half Labrador Retriever. Her name was Hailey, and she had been in a home with senior citizens that could no longer take care of her. So, this teenaged girl took her in hoping to find her a home, because Hailey was so sweet, they couldn’t bear to think of her in the pound.

She was living about an hour from my house, so I emailed the girl and asked some questions. Was she good with kids and cats? Was she house trained? The girl said yes to all my questions and reiterated that Hailey was the kindest dog she had ever encountered. I had to meet her. So, I convinced my then-husband to “just visit” her and see. He knew we would be coming back with a dog. As I had never met one I didn’t love!

We pulled up to this small trailer on January 30, 2008, and knocked on the door. As the door opened, the cutest thing I’ve ever seen came running right to me. She wasn’t barking but wagging her tail like she had been waiting on me for days. I kneeled down, and she about knocked me over with her exuberance and licks. “I’ll take her,” I said without hesitation. The girl said that Hailey had been living in the trailer with five other dogs and was the best behaved one. She would get upset at the other ones for barking or not listening to commands.

The whole way home, she sat on my lap in the back of our minivan, like she had always been there. I can’t really explain the instant connection we had. It truly is unlike anything I’ve ever encountered in my life. From that day, over eight years ago, Hailey has become my best friend and my one constant. My marriage at the time we adopted Hailey was rocky, at best. There was a lot of fighting and animosity, and she knew it. Every time a voice was raised, she started kissing my face. She didn’t like the arguing and was trying to make it stop. As a woman with Borderline Personality Disorder, chaos was my norm. Relationships have always been a struggle for me, as I have a deep-rooted fear of abandonment and find genuinely connecting with people a difficult thing to do.

With Hailey, it’s easy. When I’m crying, she’s right there with her head in my lap. When I am happy, she dances next to me. She knows when I need her, and she knows exactly what I need. I’ve divorced and remarried since adopting her, and she’s been there for me every step of the way. Hailey and I are a package deal, and my current husband needed to know and accept that. He wasn’t an animal person before he married me. He had pets, but never really connected with them. But, Hailey is our girl now. One of the things I love most about him is that he understands and respects my connection to Hailey and treats her like the puppy princess she is.

Every morning, she knows what time my husband is getting up. She waits and then, with his help, comes up on the bed with me for our morning snuggle. It’s the only way I can start my day. And we end our days, curled up on the sofa together, with a few of her favorite cookies. Her face is getting white, and she doesn’t get around as easily as she used to. She’ll be ten this year, so I know our time is limited.

It hurts my heart to even think about a world without this sweet, loving creature in it. But, the love and dedication she has given me is something I will carry with me forever. I enjoy the time we have left and indulge her every wish. Fresh, homemade dog food. Her favorite chewy bones. An orthopedic bed with soft blankets. Whatever she needs, she gets. It is nothing in comparison to what she gives me every single day.

It truly is astounding what dogs, animals, can bring to our lives. They are so innately innocent and good. Humans could learn a lot from them about acceptance and love. Hailey greets me every single day like she’s seeing me for the first time. She holds no grudges. She’s there to lick away my tears and to run with me in the rain. She lays next to me all day as I work from my home office. She evens smiles her goofy smile when she gets belly rubs! My life is so much better simply because of her presence. I may have adopted her, but she saved me.

Popular in the Community

Close

What's Hot