Hi all! My name is Caitlin and I blog at To Make Love Stay and I'm so excited to be a part of the Blogging Buddies feature!
My husband, Rob, and I moved in together in May of 2008, after being apart for his entire four-year Army enlistment. In October, we finally gathered up the courage to ask our landlord to get a dog, and you can't imagine how thrilled we were when she consented.
We took the whole day one Saturday visiting local animal shelters until we finally stumbled upon our little beast Cypress. She was in a cage with her brother, Aries, and honestly I didn't give her a second look because she was such a large dog and our apartment was relatively small. My husband was instantly taken with her, however, and I can still picture her sitting against the cage looking up at us with her big, brown, Husky-Rottweiler eyes. The following Monday we brought her home with us and we were totally on cloud 9 with her (minus the vomit in the car on the way home...poor beastie still gets car-sick).
I knew right away that Cypress understood me when our downstairs neighbor complained about her walking too loud the day we got her, and our landlord told us that if it continued we'd have to get rid of her. I'd only had her for 5 or 6 hours but I absolutely lost it. Cypress, who had been a happy, goofy beast up to that point, came up to me and licked my cheek and wouldn't leave my side. Now, whenever I feel anxious or depressed, Cypress literally will follow me everywhere I go and will often refuse to go on walks with my husband if I don't go. She and I are both high strung but I think we complement each other quite well.
Cypress has also been the perfect therapy dog for my husband, who served for 13 months during the bloodiest time of the war in Iraq. She's helped to teach him patience and has kept him company while I travel for my software consulting job. They both require extensive exercise so I think they work pretty well together! :)
We've had our lovely little beastie with us for 3 and a half years now, and she has become an absolutely invaluable member of our little family. We've had bumps along the way just like any family member (like when she decided to destroy a picture of me that my husband carried with him in Iraq), but we truly can't imagine our life without her.
To anyone considering getting a dog I would highly recommend adopting from a shelter or from a rescue. For one, Cypress came to us completely housetrained and knowing a lot of commands. For another, it's great to know that we rescued her and gave her a good home; we know that if we had not adopted her she may not have as happy a life as she does (she is spoiled, that's for sure!). So many dogs, particularly in urban areas, face euthanization every day, which is absolutely heartbreaking to me. My husband and I agree that all of our future dogs will come from shelters or breed rescues and I recommend this to anyone looking for a dog. If you do choose to get a particular breed, research and find a reputable breeder. Please, please do not buy a dog from a pet store - too many get their dogs from puppy mills and aside from the cruelty aspect, you could be setting yourself up for a whole host of breed-related ailments. I know it's been said many times before, but I'm constantly surprised by the number of people in my Facebook or Twitter feed still buying dogs from pet stores. Whatever you choose to do, make sure to give your beastie lots of love and you will get plenty of it in return!
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Thank you Caitlin, for sharing your story!!
We are currently seeking submissions for the Blogging Buddies series, and we would love to hear all about your pet or pets, please email us!
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What a sweet, sweet story! She's adorable, for sure :D
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