How it all Began

When I first laid eyes on Cinder, my heart melted.

She was one of nine wriggly potatoes, barely coordinated enough to wobble around the closet in which they were kept. Pitch black but a stripe on her chest and a spot on her chin, the first thing she did was hobble over to me, squat down, and pee on my shoe. I loved her then and there.

I had chosen to get a puppy on a whim. After years of struggling with mental illness, and with several suicide attempts under my belt, I felt that something had to give and so I set out to find and train a service dog. Spoiler alert: she never did become a service dog, but she saved me all the same.

I cradled her in my arms on the car ride home. She was tiny and sickly, and she threw up on me more times than I can count, but I just wiped her mouth and stroked her head, whispering sweet words in her ears. I looked in to her eyes, still puppy blue, and knew that this was my reason to keep on going.

There were ups and downs... oh, there were a lot of downs... but we tackled them head on, and even when I felt like throwing in the towel, we made it work. She grew to be lean and beautiful, with the build of a Whippet and the heart of a Retriever. A sight to behold.

I look at this dog, and I see the trust in her eyes. I know deep down I would move mountains for her, and she would do the same for me. I can't wait to share our adventures, new and old, with the world.