Getting a dog was one of the best additions to my life. Dogs are known as “man’s best friend,” and I’ve truly gained a new BFF this year.
The day after my senior year homecoming, we picked up a foster puppy. We admittedly didn’t name her right away because we wanted to feel it out and see which of our name options suited her best. For about the first week we all called her “puppy” and she actually responded to it (and still does today). After seeing some of her behaviors and how she was always searching for stuff, we came to the conclusion that Scout was the best name.
However, we call her by her nicknames more than her actual name. When we get home and she’s excited to see us, she not only wags her tail, but she also wiggles her entire butt, which gave her the nickname “Wigglebutt.” She has the longest torso I’ve ever seen a dog have, and when she wakes up from a nap she slowly slides off of the couch so that she can stretch which gave her the nickname “Slinky Dog,” like from Toy Story. The last nickname she has is “Spaz Dog.” We don’t call her this to be mean, she just gets insanely excited when she can tell we are going on a walk. So much so that we won’t even say the word “walk,” but she sees us getting our shoes on and she knows what’s about to happen.
Although she falls over and jumps off of the back of the couch and does all of her puppy things, she is actually really smart. It has happened a couple of times where she took one of my shoes off of our shoe rack and brought it to me. Every time I take it from her and tell her she isn’t supposed to do that, but then when I asked her if she needed to go outside, she perked up and ran to the back door.
Another thing she is starting to understand is all of my family member’s names and the word “home.” When my brother was coming home from college once, I told her “Luke is coming home” and she turned around and looked at me, so I said it again. Then she stood up, so I said it again. She then ran to one of the windows on the front of the house and looked out, waiting for him to come home. She does the same thing when I say “Dad is coming home,” or even when she hears the garage door opening.
She is a completely different dog than when we first got her. When we picked her up from the shelter, she was scared, timid, reluctant, and shy. But the more time she spent at home and the more she got accustomed to our space, she started to act like our dog. Now, she barks when people come over so that she can protect us, she’s comfortable sleeping on the floor instead of the couch, and many other characteristics of a puppy who has found her home.
Four months ago, my lifelong dreams of having a dog finally came true, and I couldn’t be happier. I’ve found a new best friend and my lifelong companion.
