“We would take up space without guilt. We would love our people unconditionally. We would find and fill empty spaces in rooms and hearts. We would offer up nonjudgmental support.”
‘If people had hearts like dogs, we would be better humans.’
‘Aww, You’re such a freak of nature!’ I stood there, with my own obvious difference, unsure of what to say. Because I’ve been there. ‘Two-face.’ ‘Ugly.’ ‘Freak.’
“I went to the animal shelter to look at puppies. Then I saw her. She has extra claws on her back paws. I ranted. I raved. If that’s what she thought about a dog in her care, what was she thinking about the customer standing in front of her with half of a purple face?”
‘They were identical twins that spent their lives together. She cradled her sister in her arms. ‘Please Courtney, don’t leave me!’ There were no warnings.’
“I got a call from my daughter at 7 a.m. ‘Mom, is Courtney going to work today?,’ she asked. I suggested she wake her up. It haunts her every day she didn’t know her sister was in trouble.”
‘She said they become ‘the pet of the school.’ The life I imagined crashed before me and fell to pieces. I heard the words, ‘She has characteristics of Down syndrome.’
“But then, I saw my daughter with her big marble colored eyes and blonde hair. Finally, I embraced it.”
‘When I went to pick her up, her feet were stuck on the road.’ Good Samaritan rescues kitten GLUED to the road, names her Sticky the Kitty
“It’s a kitten sitting upright just shaking like a leaf. Some jerk had spread glue on its paws and stuck it to the road. She was wet and freezing, and NO ONE STOPPED.”
‘Twins run in my family. I had this list – married by 22 and a child by 25. So far so good. I married my amazing husband. We started trying to have a baby.’
“Our dreams of becoming parents were gone instantly.”
‘My partner of 4 years left with no explanation. I was blindsided with an earth-shattering, life-changing conversation.’
“He came into the bedroom to wake me up, just as he had done every day of our relationship. Only today was different. My entire life had been flipped upside down in an instant, and no matter how hard I tried to get it back, it was gone.”
‘We would take her in a heartbeat, we were really hoping no one would come after her.’ I surprised Bob, for his 80th birthday, with the gift of Sloan.
He mentioned if she ever needed company or a place to visit, she was welcome at their home anytime. ‘We’ll be here waiting!’ he said.
‘I knew she was ready to go. She had done her job, and done it well.’ Firefighter says tearful farewell to his ‘best friend’ Dalmatian therapy dog
“In her final moments, I held my girl one last time and looked at her big brown eyes to tell her how much I loved her.”
‘IT’S A… PUPPY! I am a 23-year-old ‘boss babe’ and now, single DOG Mom. I have been unapologetically embracing the single life.’
“I started this journey by creating a Pinterest board titled ‘Self-Care.’ You’re probably thinking, ‘self-care, well that’s simple. I care for myself daily; I wash my face, brush my teeth.’ BUT, do you care for yourself mentally? Do you ever put yourself first? Do you love yourself?”
