Do you know the one thing in the world that loves you more than it loves itself? It’s your dog.
No matter if they are small or big, old or young, dogs are a true blessing to have in your life! When I was just five years old, I can clearly remember my neighbor bringing my dog into our house for the first time. She was a rescue and our neighbor was asking if we would be willing to take her in. My family agreed and since then she has been living in her forever home with us! 15 years later, my sweet dog Darla, is still living her best life.
When Darla was warming up to her new place, we discovered she had hookworms and was very underweight. We took care of everything and soon we got her a little too comfortable! Although her hookworms were gone, she was now overweight! (This is what happens when you put a dog in an Italian household!!). Eventually, we got her to a normal weight and everything continued to be relatively normal.
I can recall the days when I was younger and I would be sat on the floor crying. Darla would come up to me, lick my face, and shove her head between my hands and face to make me feel better. They have this sixth sense of feelings and they truly know when you’re sad or stressed and want to help you out. She was there when I felt the world was collapsing around me. I remember her in every good memory I hold like making funny videos, taking her on hikes, around the parks, apple picking, holidays and more. She was the happiest pupper you would ever meet!
About a year and a half ago, Darla started losing her sense of balance, had trouble using her back legs, and was definitely showing signs of her age. It came to a point where I, unfortunately, thought this was the end. She would walk in little circles with her head tilted, she wouldn’t eat much if at all, and her legs were almost becoming useless. We took her to the vet and they didn’t say much so we were left with confusion and sadness…until I realized something when I looked up her symptoms on google! I noticed her eyes were darting back and forth and looked that up along with the rest of her antics and I ended up diagnosing my dog with a vestibular disease which is vertigo related. We took her back when we found this out, they gave her meds, and she got increasingly healthier every single day!
To this day, as you read this story, my sweet Darla is eating every meal, going out all the time, and even jumps around when she wants to get walked. She’s lost most of her hearing, so even if I stomp around my house she wouldn’t even notice (which is good when I get back home late at night, sorry mom!). No matter how late I am to something, I WILL kiss her goodbye. I pet her every second I can within my busy schedule and I take ALL the pictures because I will never forget Darla. She is not just my dog. She is my family.
Photo by Melanie Yabroudy