My dad called me into the office of our family home during the winter of eighth grade, and I went, oblivious to the fact that this short conversation would change my life.
Before I entered college, winters were really tough for me emotionally. I struggled to feel happy during the long, dark, and cold winter months or even feel anything at all.
My family’s first dog, Mac, had been getting old and progressively sicker for months, and we knew it was almost his time. This fact was undeniable, but no one dared to ask about another dog.
After all, if you bring up Mac to any of my family members, they will insist that he was the best dog anyone had ever seen (true).
I walked into the office to talk to my dad and saw a huge, goofy-looking dog on his screen.
He had been scrolling on Petfinder and had come across a Rhodesian Ridgeback/Mastiff/Hound rescue from Tennessee.
Enter, Joey.
My dad was sitting in his chair, laughing, when he asked me…
“What do you think mom would say?”
I gave Joey’s profile a better look and decided that I would not be able to sleep until he became a part of our family.
With tears and some begging, in the spring before my freshman year of high school, Joey showed up in Albany, ready to become a McNaughton.
His story is sadly similar to many other rescue dogs.
He was rescued from a home in Tennessee where he was found chained up outside. Joey was seventy pounds when he was picked up, which may seem normal for smaller dogs, but he is over one hundred now and considered healthy.
He still bears both physical and mental scars from another life, which is something my family and I will spend the rest of our time with him trying to make up for.
Joey, while it sounds stupid, is my best friend.
He was the light during one of the most challenging points of my life and is always there when I need him most, probably drooling everywhere.
He is incredibly smelly, sleepy, and lazy but is a necessary and nonnegotiable part of my family, even when he tries to run away during his baths.
My friends and family look at him and see a dog, but I see something a little different: a soul dog.
Soul dogs are dogs people are lucky enough to own once, if ever, in their lives. A soul dog grows with and shapes their owner and will always hold a special place in their owner’s heart.
Joey is my soul dog.
He has taught me how to be patient and compassionate, but most importantly, discreet because he can always hear when the cheese drawer is opened, and for that, I am eternally grateful.