Growing up, I never had a dog. In fact, I was a little scared of them, but also a little fascinated by them. I remember being a little girl and sticking my fingers through the neighbors’ fence, trying to make friends with their Border Collie. He bit me (not hard) and that was the end of that for a long time.

Later on, when I was a young teen, I had started struggling with insomnia and probably depression, though I didn’t realize that part until later on. Another neighbor’s dog was tied up outside all the time, and he barked all night long. I couldn’t sleep. I told my parents. They complained to the neighbor. The neighbor took his dog out and shot it. That’s something that will probably weigh on my conscience for the rest of my life.

I grew up in a small town in the middle of nowhere. Lots of people had dogs. They were all over the place, running free, being loved by some and ignored by others. But they just didn’t catch my attention much. After I moved away from my home town, I met dogs I liked over the years, but just didn’t think they were for me.

Fast forward to after my husband and I bought our house. It was just him and me. Kids weren’t really on the agenda, but the house felt a little empty. We had a lot of freedom I had never experienced as a renter. I saw some beagle puppies were at the local shelter and decided we needed to go see them. We did, and they were so cute and so crazy. Then my husband came back from looking at the other dogs and said, “I found our dog.” He was right. He found our dog – and my future.

When we first got Maizy

Maizy was sitting in her kennel, panting from stress. Not knowing a dang thing about dogs, I thought she was smiling. And it was the sweetest smile… She was a six year old golden retriever/lab/something with shorter legs mix who immediately stole our hearts. She came home with us. She is still with us today – fourteen years old in July! In fact, she’s laying by my feet as I write this.

She is and was the best first dog. Easy, but not too easy. Potty trained, friendly, sweet, loved attention, loved being with us. But there were some problems. She was intimidated by my husband and they had a couple of “incidents.” Uh, you know, the kind that involve teeth and skin. She was also not really great when we passed other dogs on leash. Her reactivity increased over time, probably because I didn’t know what to do and so was doing all the wrong things (holding the leash tight, getting stressed every time we saw another dog, experimenting with stupid sh** like prong collars, etc).

But she was quickly also becoming one of the best things that ever happened to me. She was so chunky and out of shape when we got her, but I started taking walks with her and we both were getting healthier. When things were bad, she was always by my side, her steady, unconditional love holding me up. There was particularly dark time where she was the only thing I could hold onto while powerlessly watching a loved one go through some awful stuff. But Maizy was there, and she needed me. She needed me to give her love, attention, food, and routine. I did that, and it kept me going. Things got better. Life moved on. But it was time to start learning more about what was going on with her.

Goofy Maizy!

We hired a trainer who specialized in positive reinforcement. She was wonderful, but I was totally overwhelmed by information and got frustrated. I never quit trying, though. The best thing that trainer did for me was give me a list of books to read. That started to change my life. I’ve always been an avid reader, and reading about dogs, their language, their emotions, and training started to open my eyes. I learned to read Maizy’s body language and help her and my husband start understanding each other better. Now she is so attached to him she follows him everywhere around the house.

I started rewarding her every time we saw a dog – just popped a treat in her mouth. It was probably a year or two before that made a real difference, but one day she got excited when she saw a dog – because she knew she could turn to me and get a treat!

I learned she wasn’t really a dog person, but she actually tolerated them (sometimes after humping their head a little or barking a little). We are now up to four dogs in our house. They all get along. She has even become quite attached to our sweet little pit bull, Phoenix.

We’ve since worked with other trainers, I started volunteering at the local shelter training dogs, and I’ve consumed every book, website, Facebook page, and blog I can find about dogs and positive reinforcement. As Maizy’s days with us grow shorter and shorter, I think it’s time to look back and thank her for all she has done for me. She has taught me so much – what unconditional love is, what passion is, what hope is, and what aging gracefully looks like. With tears in my eyes, I say that I cannot be more grateful for her and the time we have had with her. When it’s her time to go, I know her legacy will live on in my heart and my life. She is my first dog love, and that will never, ever change.

Now it’s your turn to share. Who or what has sparked the passion in your life? Gave you the strength to go on? Turned your whole life in a new direction? I would love to hear. Feel free to share in the comments.