I grew up with dogs all my life, however since I moved out on my own for University and real life after that, I’ve left the idea of getting a dog on the back burner. Life is so busy, so I felt bad that I wouldn’t have time to take care of the dog. I also always see people out before work, sometimes in the rain or the snow, walking their dogs and I always thought “what a drag! I could never do that”. Turns out, the love you have for a dog will get you up at crazy hours in the rain and snow and leave you without any thought in your mind that you'd rather be doing anything else.
It was Saturday, and it had been 3 days of complete disappointment after having been given the news. My girlfriends came by with a bunch of snacks to hang out. One of the girls, Jess, had to leave to head to the airport where she was picking up a dog named Alba. Alba was being flown in from Mexico as part of the Snoopi Project, run by All Humane Kind, a dog rescue organization headed up by the amazing LeeAnne Adam. Jess showed me the photo of Alba and I instantly melted. She was so sweet! She was a tiny white lab/whippet mix and had a mixture of calmness and playfulness in the photos. One look at her and I had a gut feeling that she was meant for me.
A few days went by and I couldn’t get Alba out of my head. I messaged LeeAnne and asked if I could meet her. I filled out the adoption papers ahead of time, in the off chance that I would decide to take her home with me. While I felt pretty invested in the concept emotionally, it was a little too crazy to think that I would take home a dog!
Nonetheless, RuthAnne, Mark and I drove to Whitby that next Saturday to go and meet Alba. I walked in the door of the Foster home she was staying and Alba ran right to us with a million kisses flying around my face. A few of her kisses even went into my mouth, a level of intimacy I wasn’t expecting. She was SO SWEET. We took her for a quick walk around the block and within a few minutes I knew I was taking her home that day.
Now only if I could convince Mark….. it didn’t help that RuthAnne is nuts for dogs. Put any dog next to her and everything else around her doesn’t exist. The dog has her full attention. You might have thought it was all part of the plan to bring her that day. I didn’t even have to worry about RuthAnne being on my side, I already knew she’d back me up 110%. So there we were, giving Mark the most precious faces we could with the classic “can we keep her?” look. I think he knew whether he agreed or not, we were going home with her, but I wanted to make sure it was both of our decisions. He might have been reluctant, but he agreed, so we scooped her into the car and took her home! Not before stopping at Pet Smart and spending a small fortune.
From having grown up with dogs all my life, it was so nostalgic to hear Alba’s paws trot on the floor, her collar clinking as she went and just the comfort of a dog curled up next to you. I realized in those first few days how much I really needed her. On top of all of this, she is a complete angel. She doesn’t bark, she’s very soft tempered and gentle, and she’s so cute you just want to eat her. But not actually.
I am SO incredibly thankful for her. She got me into a routine of waking up early (goodbye to sleeping in ever again – for anyone who knows me, this is huge), she got me on a schedule for our walks, she keeps me entertained and gives me company while I’m at home alone, and she gives me an exciting topic of conversation that helps me veer away from any cancer talk and instead I get to talk about HER! I also love the dog park. It is a 30-45 minute comedy session I get a front row seat at 2-3 times a day. Dogs are hilarious, especially when you put a bunch of them in a closed off space. The things they get up to are ridiculous. The dog park also provided me the opportunity to meet people whom I now recognize and strike up conversation with, although I only know them by their dog’s name; Frankie, Goose, Charlie, Chico, Arya, Abby, Marcel, etc. I’ve accepted the fact that I’m probably known as Alba.
When I came home from my surgery, I was nervous because Alba usually will excitedly jump up on our bed and walk all over us, rolling around, etc. I should have known however that she’d be an exceptional dog. She was extra calm that day and instead of jumping all over me, she licked my face and then laid down next to me. How do they know?! It’s amazing.
When I got back from the Doctor’s where the information I dreaded for so long came true, that I needed chemo, I got home and cried. When I opened the door to the apartment though and saw her cute face looking back at me, I could feel my spirits rising in me. I took her out that day for a 2 hour walk down by the waterfront and was so thankful that she was there to get me outside that day. The walk gave me the opportunity to both think through everything but also let my worries go and appreciate the beauty of the day and also her company!
Alba and I have been together for almost 2 months now and we’ve gotten to know each other really well. It’s such an amazing feeling when your dog looks up from her playing at the park to make sure that you’re close by. Or when I start walking to the gate, she follows. Even as I type on my computer right now, she’s snuggled next to me. Sometimes she’ll even rest her head on my arm (like the photo I posted), so that I have to stop typing because I don’t have the heart to move her off of me, but I’m perfectly ok with that!
I can whole heartedly say that it was definitely Pooch to the rescue! While it may be true that I saved her, I think it goes without saying that she’ll have saved me.
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