By: Victoria R.
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| Arya had tons of personality from day 1! |
In today's busy world most
people have someone around them constantly, be it a spouse, sibling or
children. What some people might not have considered is that a dog can be there
for you in many of the same ways as a human. My husband and I work polar
opposite shifts 99% of the time. I work as a teacher, so I am always working
during the day, and he is in restaurant management which means his shifts can
be anywhere from a 5am start to a midnight end. The way our luck normally works
is that I end at 3:30, and he starts at 4:00. For the past five years, we've
lived like this and let me tell you, it's not fun!
Last May my husband starting
putting the idea out there that we should look into adopting a dog. We had
specifically moved into a pet friendly building earlier that year, but hadn't
really started to look for a friend just yet. I was quite stressed out with
life in general, and coming home to an empty apartment just wasn't helping.
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| She thinks all pictures have to be of her! |
One rainy Sunday afternoon, we
decided to take a chance and head to a local Pet Valu for an adoption fair put
on by Manitoba Mutts. I had never heard of MMDR before, but for some reason
that morning a link showed up on my Facebook account mentioning that there was
an adoption event going on that day. When I walked into the store, I didn't
really know what to expect, but the minute I looked into that puppy pen, I knew
I had found her.
I grew up with two parents who
worked opposite shifts, so my dog Chewy became my constant companion. When I
looked at Arya (at the time Stevie) I saw the mischievous face of my childhood
dog starting back at me. We wasted no time in putting in an application for
her, and that very day she came home with us. From day one that little fuzz has
brought me nothing but joy and happiness. In that tiny little body lives enough
personality and love to fill a whole room. She is a Mom's puppy through and
through, and won't hesitate to show affection to me
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| Arya at 6 months old |
Having Arya in my life has
brought me the companionship and stability I was missing when my husband was
away at work. Now I know that I have someone waiting for me at home after work,
someone who doesn't care if I didn't do something right, or if I'm having a bad
day, but will love me just the same. Arya's bubbly and social personality has
helped me to come out of my shell and forced me into social situations I might
not have willingly gone into had she not been a part of them. I have met some
amazing ladies through various dog park dates and events, something that would
have never happened if I hadn't chosen to adopt Arya that day. She's like a
little fuzzy confidence boost.
Owning a dog is an excellent
way to combat stress, anxiety and panic. They provide a soothing presence when
you're feeling alarmed, and always seem to know when you've had a bad day and
will curl up on the couch with you for hours. Many times you will hear people
who have rescued a dog say that they didn't rescue the puppy, their puppy
rescued them. In my case that is 100% the truth. People are always trying all
sorts of crazy things to combat stress and anxiety, and with this I offer a
simple, heartwarming solution. Adopt a dog!
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