My Dogs, My Life

Dogs have always been one of my biggest passions. I have always said that if I ever win the lottery, I would give a big chunk of the money to no-kill shelters. No-kill shelters aim to end euthanization and provide every dog with a good and loving home. One of the greatest no-kill shelters is PAWS Chicago. It is through organizations like PAWS that give dogs a chance at life the voice they deserve.

My dogs are everything to me. I have been blessed to have 5 dogs in my life so far. I believe God brought each one of them into my life at a specific time for a specific reason. Dogs have been around me since the day I was born 23 years ago. For 23 years I have been blessed to experience a kind of love that only a dog can give you. I want to share these amazing dogs with you. While some of them have passed, their memory is very much alive.

Sailor July 1st, 2001 -- May 2nd, 2012

Sailor was the most beautiful golden retriever. My uncle adopted Sailor when he was just a puppy. He named him Sailor because my uncle was in the Navy and was around Sailors all the time. However, my uncle had to give my parents Sailor because he got deployed for several months overseas when 9/11 occurred. Sailor was only five and a half months old when we met for the first time. My parents brought me home from the hospital and he instantly slobbered my face with kisses. We became inseparable. It was so special fun to grow up together, even though I am sure it was very difficult for my mom to handle a newborn and a puppy. I love looking back on all the pictures we have together. As a baby, you never remember memories that early on in life so I am so happy to have pictures to look back on.

Sailor was such a lovable dog. My parents even tried to have him trained to be a therapy dog. Ultimately he couldn't because every time he saw someone he got so excited that he would jump all over them. He did not mean to misbehave. The excitement of seeing people would overtake him.

I remember one of our favorite activities to do together was play outside. Whether that was swimming in a pool, running into a pile of leaves, or rolling around in the snow, we loved it. Sailor was my best friend growing up. We did everything together, and I wouldn't have wanted it any other way. I am blessed to have shared that special bond with him and call him family.

Chloe 2011 -- August 9th, 2021

Chloe was my grandma's dog but I used to see her every single day. I would see my grandma every day, so therefore I would see Chloe every day. Chloe was also a protector. She had this very intimidating bark, but her heart was huge for those she loved. When I first met Chloe, she did not like me at first. It was very hard for her to trust people because she came from a home where there was no love. However, after some time, she learned to trust me and I am so glad she did.

Even though they only knew each other for a year, Chloe and Sailor were best friends. It was so cute to watch them play together, run around, and share their toys. Chloe was also a very funny dog. If there was ever a dog on TV, she would bark at it until the screen would change. Whenever the mail truck rolled up, she would bark until it left. If she saw the sprinkler, you needed to spray the water for her to bite the air in an attempt to catch the water.

Chloe was the perfect dog for my grandma. They were best friends until the end. If you have ever heard of a soul dog, it is that one special dog that you have this unexplainable bond with that is unbreakable. Chloe was my grandma's soul dog. Chloe was a light we all needed and her light shone brightly until the very end.

Goldie 2011 -- June 17th, 2020

Goldie was a protector who loved her family. We adopted her, and my other dog, Max, from a rescue called A.D.O.P.T. Unfortunately, before Goldie entered our home, she was severely abused. She was thrown into a kill shelter after a big tornado blew through Missouri. She was hurt, pregnant, and severely malnourished. The woman who runs A.D.O.P.T drove to Missouri to rescue as many dogs from the kill shelter as she could and brought them up to a PetSmart to hopefully get many dogs adopted. As soon as my mom saw her, she knew we had to take her home. We thought she was a chocolate lab, but after giving her a bath we discovered she was a yellow lab.

Goldie's favorite three things were: food, her family, and her toys. She was always protecting our house and yet would want to cuddle right on top of our laps. It was incredible to watch her transformation to rediscover what true happiness is and not have to worry about where her next meal was coming from. We wanted to give her everything since she never knew what true love from a family was like.

My favorite memories with Goldie would be whenever we played tug of war or I threw her toy and she brought it back to me with her tail wagging. It brought me so much joy to see her so happy. Goldie taught me it is not about what you have in life, but it is who you share it with. Even if she did not have toys to play with, I know she would still be just as happy because of the love we gave her. My Goldie girl gave us so much love and joy. I am blessed to not only have learned things from her but call her family.

Max March 15th, 2011 -- Present

Max is the best boy. We adopted Max the same day we adopted Goldie. At the time he was only eight weeks old and suffered the same start to life as Goldie did. They were both rescued from a kill shelter down in Missouri after a big tornado ripped through the area. Max was the smallest pup of his litter and the only boy. As soon as I saw him that day, I knew he was meant to be in our family. Since Goldie was a new mom and Max was so young, she instantly adopted him as one of her own. She taught him a lot and it was so cute to watch.

Max unfortunately has a disease called MMM. It is a muscular disease that ate away at all the muscles in his head. He also has a condition called Thrombocytopenia. This disease impacts the platelet production in his body. Platelets are key because they clot blood in the body. Max, unfortunately, has a severe low count so we need to be very careful with what he does. However, these diseases do not stop him from living his best life. He loves to play with toys, be our alarm clock in the morning, go on walks, and run around in the backyard.

Max is my soul dog. He is my everything. God truly blessed me with my best friend. I would do anything for him, just like I would for any of my other dogs. Max has shown me what unconditional love is. He cannot speak English, but he shows me how much he loves me. Max demonstrates the classic saying "Actions speak louder than words" every day. This is a life lesson I recently learned to uphold in my life and become a standard I hold very close to my heart. I have Max to thank for that.

Lola April 15th, 2018 -- Present

Lola was also my grandma's dog. However, she became my family's dog after my grandma passed away in 2022. Lola came from a home where she received no love. She did not have a bed to sleep on, no toys to play with, and no walks to enjoy. When my grandma rescued her, in 2022, she made it her mission to give Lola the love she deserved. To say my grandma exceeded this expectation is an understatement. Even now we are giving Lola everything she could possibly want and need.

It took Lola a long time to trust people. We were very patient with her, and it paid off in the end. The day she picked up her first toy without us putting it in front of her, was a day I will never forget. She was very nervous but she got the courage to pick it up and bring it over to us to throw for her. I have to admit, I teared up because I knew at that moment she had discovered how to be a dog.

Lola and Max are very close friends. Lola will lay near Max when he is in a deep sleep to watch over him, she always lets him come inside first and adopted some of his mannerisms for herself. Max deserves a lot of credit for showing her how to be a dog. In the beginning, she would copy his behavior a lot and watch how he would approach things. He would be patient with her and even still is. Sometimes he will go to her and want to play but she looks at him confused. Max knows this, and will simply bring her a toy to play with. I know my grandma would be proud to see how far Lola has come.