My dog changed my life!

by Stacey Jenkins
(Georgetown, Ky, USA)

I would have to say that Cal has saved me. I had been wanting a dog for the last year; the guy I was dating told me no. That he did not want to love him, then suffer the loss when he dies.

I begged for months until I had a patient come in with a dog that had a health services vest on. I asked her about him because she wasn't blind; and he was being used to help reduce her anxiety and depression. I had been battling depression pretty bad for the last couple of years. I was having a hard time functioning once I got home.

I told my boyfriend about this lady and her dog; how she was off all her medication because of her dog. He agreed to let me get a puppy; and I researched the puppy I wanted for about a month.

My oldest son has severe allergies and I needed a dog that didn't shed. I found Cal, paid for him but had to wait weeks before I could have him because he was weaned from his mother. It was the longest 4 weeks of my life. The day I picked him up he put those ears back and ran to me and I fell in love with him.

My boyfriend and I have split up since then, I am off all my anti-depressants and fibromyalgia medicines. My kids are happier; Cal has changed our lives. He brings joy everywhere we go. People stop and want to pet him. Going out in public is ridiculous; he is almost like a celebrity especially at the ballpark where my youngest son plays baseball. I think the entire team and parents have adopted him.

I lost a dog as a child and have not allowed myself to get close to another animal since then. I have allowed that precious dog into my heart; and I am a better person for it.