I was 22 years old when my best friend’s sister sent me a text asking me if I wanted a puppy. “Sure!” I said. I mean, what girl didn’t want a cute little fluff with ears so big that she couldn’t even hold them up yet? I drove to her apartment and picked up this tiny, sweet little baby dog who didn’t have a name or a single tooth!
I looked at her for a while and decided that she just looked like a “Zoe” to me. Well, Zoe was taken away from her mama dog when she was only three weeks old because she had cherry eyes and the person wanted to put her down because of that. I couldn’t let that happen. Look at her! She’s so tiny, sweet, and so many dogs have cherry eyes and live their lives completely unbothered by them.
That’s where our journey began, and I never could have imagined all the love and lessons Zoe would show me throughout our 13 years together. She’s been my best friend, protector, confidante – and the best “soul dog” anyone could ever ask for.
I got Zoe around the same time I met my husband. Zoe was in the living room while he was proposing – jumping at the ring box because she thought it was a snack – and I had no idea what was going on, or why he wasn’t letting her have the treat! She was a furry shoulder to cry on when our relationship wasn’t perfect, when life wasn’t perfect, and when I just needed to cry “just because.” Zoe Lucy (yes, she has a middle name) was by my side through my entire pregnancy and was there for me to cry on when postpartum hit and I had no idea what to do.
I will be furr-ever thankful for the 13 years that we had together. I wish that we had even longer together, but I don’t think it would ever be long enough. I love that I could give Zoe the life she deserved, that she knew that all she had to do was look at me and I would know exactly what she wanted, that she got to be a part of huge milestones in my life, and that my daughter got to meet her and love her as much as I do and vice versa.
Thank you, Zoe, for choosing me. Thank you for teaching me how to love, how to be patient, and that it’s totally fine (and fun) to eat snacks and fall asleep in front of the TV in the middle of the day.
I will see you again someday. I love you forever, Zoe Lucy.
