“Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole.” – Roger Caras

WARNING: If you do not want to listen to a childless late-20something talk about her dog as if she were her own actual child, then you may want to skip this post altogether.

Four years ago today, I rescued Olive (aka Lollie) from the Lowell Animal Shelter in Northwest Arkansas.  I had been living there for about six months and decided that living out in the country by myself was getting a bit lonely.  I didn’t think I had the time or the energy for a dog, so I decided that I would check out the local animal shelter for a cat.

I went to the Lowell Animal Shelter on my lunch break just to see if I fell in love with any of the cats.  I did really like one cat and even filled out an application for her.  Since I had some time left before I had to return to work, I asked to see the dogs.  I have always been a dog lover and just wanted to take a quick look at them.  I saw this one little chihuahua staring back at me from its dog run.  I could tell that this dog was the favorite because she had about 50% of the shelter’s blanket supply in her very own indoor run.  This dog was clearly the shelter princess.

I have never really been a chihuahua person.  Like most people, I assumed that all chihuahuas were nippy, yippy, and mean.  I got back to work and could not stop thinking about that sweet little nugget at the shelter.  I got on Petfinder to see if there was a photo of her and I saw this sad little mug staring back at me.

*Cue Sad Sarah MacLachlan Music*

She had to be mine.  I called the shelter and told them that I wanted to adopt “Millie the Chihuahua” (Lollie’s former street name) instead.  I was able to pick her up two days later.  I took this photo once we got in the car to head to PetSmart.  She looked so free and happy, but she also looked a hot mess.

We walked into PetSmart like Julia Roberts walked into the Rodeo Drive store that actually sold her clothes in Pretty Woman.  “Millie” needed to ditch her streetwalker look too.  Everyone who worked there was so thrilled that I had just rescued her and they were so incredibly helpful with helping me pick out everything I needed.  After putting a significant dent in my bank account, she had everything she needed to be comfortable in her new home.

Once we got home, she immediately passed out in her dog bed.  I knew right then and there that we would be happy to have each other every day from then on.

By the next morning, she had upgraded from sleeping in her cozy crate to completely taking over my bed.  I emailed this photo to the shelter and said, “I think she will be happy here”.

I decided that she didn’t look like a Millie, so I had to come up with some other ideas.  The first name I came up with was Cholula because Texas.  The name I was sure I was going to pick was Pupcake until my boss called the next day to see how our first night went.  I couldn’t bring myself to actually tell him that I had named a dog Pupcake, so I scratched that one off the list.  My mom thought that her eyes looked like giant olives, so she came up with Olive.  That’s the one that stuck.  As all of you other pet owners may know, new names form through the evolution of nicknames.  One day my dad referred to her as Lollie, so that’s what I’ve primarily called her ever since.

I can’t believe how quickly four years has flown by!  My coworker made these super adorable hats to celebrate this special day.  One for me, one for my boyfriend, and of course, one for little Lollie.

I had originally wanted a pet for a companion, but have gained so much more since Lollie has come into my life.  Whoever came up with the saying, “man’s best friend” could not have explained it any better.  Lollie has been with me through four moves within two states.  She’s been there through the best times of my life and has also comforted me through the most difficult times of my life.  She has been my one constant.  She loves me unconditionally.  She treats me as if I am her most favorite thing in the world (although my boyfriend is a close second).  The level of excitement she has when I come home does not change whether I have been gone for 2 hours or 2 days.  She is sweet, gentle, and irresistible to everyone who meets her.  I love her more than words could ever express.  I could not imagine my world without her.

I am also very lucky to have found someone who loves her just as much as I do!  He will even wear a silly hat with a ginormous chihuahua that doesn’t even fit into the photo just to celebrate our time together.  She hated to wear this stinkin’ hat, but gosh… she looked so adorable.

For those of you who are looking to add a furry family member to your home, please be sure to check out your local shelter.  There are so many little ones out there who just want to be loved and have some stability in a forever home.  Then maybe four years from now, you will be asking yourself who really rescued whom!

Thanks for stopping by!  See y’all next time…

Marissa