Before two months ago, I had been begging my family for a dog ever since I was thirteen years old. We already had a little dog that was my brother’s but I wanted one of my own. For the past year, I did a ton of research on buying vs. adopting, breed temperament and grooming, and everything you need to know about having a dog. In that year, I was also struggling pretty badly with my anxiety. My therapist recommended an Emotional Support Animal (ESA) because being around animals has been scientifically proven to release serotonin, the chemical that helps people calm down, in the human brain. After deciding to adopt, I began to apply to rescues. Because I am a college student looking for an ESA for my anxiety, I was often rejected, except for one rescue. I began to look at their Facebook page and their Petfinder to see what animals they had available and read about each animal’s temperament and activity level to see who was best suited for me. I lead a semi-busy lifestyle where some days I’m home all day and others I work 10-hour shifts. I knew I could easily find dog sitters (aka my friends) who would take the animal for walks or spend a few hours with it while I was at work so it wouldn’t be alone. I began to save up money as I continued for a few months to look at the rescue’s website and available pets page.
The first time I saw Andi’s picture, I loved her bat-like ears and her seemingly all black coat. I was looking for a medium-sized (roughly beagle to collie size) dog, something around the 30-40 lb range. When I saw her, I saved her picture to my phone, even though at that moment she wasn’t what I was looking for. I was still looking for a male puppy. But as time passed, I kept coming back to her picture and coming back to the website to see if they still had her. One puppy I applied to adopt that I was excited about had been adopted before my application for him was even reviewed. I was heart-broken. I sat on my boyfriend’s bed and honestly wanted to cry. I was ready to give up. He calmed me down and we spent the night looking through the rescue’s Petfinder and I kept coming back to Andi, a 3-year-old, black lab mix who had puppies in October of 2018. We read her story together and he said: “She’s perfect.” All I could do was smile and say “I know.” I think I always knew. I immediately applied to get Andi and messaged the rescue on Facebook. I wanted to be her Human Mom and for her to be my best friend and I wasn’t going to stop until I brought her home. I was determined.
The day I went to get her, I was nervous. I was so scared she wouldn’t like me. But the second she came into the meet and greet room, I knew I needed to take her home. Now she’s mine and to be honest, I couldn’t picture having adopted anyone else.
It’s been two months since Andi’s adoption. At first, she was very hesitant about meeting new people. She’d growl at men, especially if they were wearing a hat. She really only liked my boyfriend and me at first. Since then, she now walks up to anyone and everyone on campus, wags her tail, and demands to be pet. She makes at least five new friends a day. Professors and students alike love her. She has finally adjusted to my wild schedule. She makes me belly laugh a few hundred times a day. She loves to chase squirrels and rabbits. She loves her dad, my boyfriend, and playing fetch or tug of war with him. She is a very very happy dog who refuses to think her very comfy orthopedic dog bed belongs to her because she prefers to sleep in mine, with me. She’s become my best friend. When I’m having a bad day, I get to come home to her and her wiggle-butt because her tail never stops wagging. I will always stand by Adopt-Don’t-Shop, now more than ever since adopting Andi. When they said “Adoption Saves Lives” I never thought Andi would be saving mine. I know better now.