Purple and Paws As a little girl, I loved dogs. My family didn’t have one but every time we visited my extended family, I loved romping with and petting their four-legged fur babies.
Then, around age five or six, when I was at the park, a dog (a retriever type) came bounding up to me in an enthusiastic manner that terrified me. So I turned and ran. The dog thought this a great game and chased after me. We did a loop through the park: around the swings, up the slide, past the monkey bars, and then finally came to a stop when I threw myself into the arm’s of my mother, who was sitting on a bench.
From that moment on, I was scared of dogs. Strangers’ dogs, my friends’ dogs, my family members’ dogs…every time I had to interact with one my stomach would knot, my palms would sweat, and my heart would start racing. Still, despite my fear and anxiety, me and my sister never stopped begging our parents for a dog.
Finally, when I was 11 and we moved to a bigger house, they agreed we could get a dog. We drove to the Arizona Humane Society and found Cleo. Sweet, docile, calm Cleo. She was the perfect first dog for me. I was wary of her at first but I quickly fell in love with her. Being around and taking care of a dog 24/7 made my fears melt away and my anxiety around dogs disappear.
Now I have my own dog and one day I would like to adopt more. In fact, one day I would like to buy a one-story house with an expansive backyard and adopt as many senior dogs as I can.
That is my dream and one day I will make it happen.