I'm Just a Girl in the World...: Sophie & Me

I watched Marley & Me last night and realised I never write about my doggie. So while I was bawling my eyes out like a baby with a high slider, I resolved to change that this morning...

My Sophie is amazing. I found her at a local shelter, alone in a cage, recovering from surgery that involved removing her right eye. I loved her immediately and after bonding with her on a ten minute walk, I filled out the paperwork to adopt her. I waited two excruciating days while they checked my references and reviewed my paperwork and was finally approved for motherhood. I picked her up a few days later with friends and took her home. During the car ride, one person sat in the back seat with her and held her puke bowl as she proceeded to throw-up about three times. I was warned of her propensity for motion sickness so thank goodness we were prepared. When we arrived home, she seemed to settle right into our home and family. She is many things but shy is not one of them.

Some people consider dogs to be "just a dog" and the minute something goes wrong, they drop them off at a shelter or the vet to be euthanised. I have had my fair share of problems surrounding my girl; hefty vet bills, fines and an aggressive dog label from the local animal control people. She cannot go out into public without a muzzle as she eats small dogs. There is no off-leash parks as she can get the muzzle off if left unattended. She can also jump our six foot fence if she gets bored outside. This dog requires constant supervision and special care. All that being said though, I wouldn't even consider giving her up.

This dog has been through so much in her short life and is still good with humans. So good in fact, we can't even put a "Beware of Dog" sign on the fence as it is simply a lie. She doesn't even bark when strangers come to the door. The only thing you need to worry about is being jumped on and licked to death. It's pathetic really. Although there was this one time she leapt to my defence on an early morning walk. I was surprised at the ferociousness she displayed. If the guy weren't in the wrong, I would have quickly run off but I let her go for a bit. Luckily he still had his bits intact.

I knew nothing about my Sophie when we first met. Her age, breed, history were all unknown but we just seemed to love one another right from the get-go. When I am sad, she comforts me. When I am happy, she wags and smiles. When I am lonely, she sleeps beside me. She asks nothing in return except food, water and scratches. She doesn't care if my clothes fit right, my hair is combed or I gained twenty pounds. It's an unconditional love that only dogs can demonstrate. If you are reading this and you have a doggie, go give him/her a hug and whisper in their ear how much you love them. They may not understand what you are saying but they do understand tone of voice and that is good enough for them.