Look at this face

This is the face of an angel dog; an adorable, innocent puppy who brings wiggles and joy wherever she goes.

It’s true – ish. But there is so much more.

This is the face of intelligence.

It is the face of a fighter, a survivor, the runt of the litter who made it and ran the show despite being separated from her mom at 2 or 3 weeks old.

This is the face of raw instinct. Of a puppy who has been figuring it out as she went for most of her short life because, without a mother, she didn’t have clarity, direction, or insight.

This is the face of hope. Hope for structure. Hope for freedom. Hope for love and care and provision. Hope for purpose, leadership, and guidance. Hope that she could relax for once and trust someone else to be in charge.

I cannot tell you how much I wish I saw all of that when I looked into Riley’s beautiful eyes that day. I wish I had known what it meant that she had been separated so young from her mom and what it meant to provide clear structure and boundaries for her.

Instead, she and I learned together.

Oh, I’ve made so many mistakes, and I still make them. I get clarity and then we climb higher, and tweak things and start again.

Perhaps the best thing is that she went from figuring it out on her own to figuring it out with me. Together is powerful.

Our journey has led us both through many things. I didn’t know it that day when I said “Yes” to her. All I saw was hope, faintly flickering and begging me to take hold.

Today, I look into her eyes and am overwhelmed with gratitude.

She has changed the way I see, the way I love, the way I think. Life with Riley has brought new dimensions to my relationships with other people and with God. It has been so, so hard and we’ve walked through a lot of things together (PTSD, anxiety, Sensory Processing Disorder, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Fibromyalgia, broken bones, COVID, Long COVID and more. She is a gift from God to me and our life together has been a living parable that has inspired, encouraged, challenged, and humbled me.

I want to give you glimpses into the things I’ve learned and continue to learn. To share stories that will encourage and strengthen you – not only in your relationship with your dog or dogs but in your life. There have been so many things that have been so hard, but as I write this there is no pain, no regret, no disappointment, only joy and hope.

Because of her love for me and my love for her, we have both been transformed. This is what love does. It is the beauty of this gift we call “dog ownership”.