At the beginning of this semester, I learned that my beloved horse, which I have had since I was 13 years old, had to be put down. I was far away from home and he passed without me being there or being able to say goodbye. As my sadness over this began to lessen, I more seriously considered my long harbored desire to adopt a dog as a way to give another deserving animal the love, affection, and devoted home that I was once able to give my Kori. As soon as I began searching for animals up for adoption in the area, I stumbled upon a trio of sisters who seemed to fit my desires and steal my heart with their loving and expressive eyes. One of those sisters was Kennedy, who I took home in late September but who has settled in so splendidly that I could swear it has been longer! I was amazed at how involved and invested her foster family was and as I communicated with them about my possible adoption I began falling in love because of the care and affection that had already been put into all the puppies early in life. Kennedy is sweeter, smarter, and more loving than I hoped in my wildest dreams. From falling asleep with her at night, waking up to her loving face in the morning, even the simple act of taking her for walks or watching her at the dog park is practically cathartic and more than I could have asked for. I can’t believe how fortunate I am to have her and couldn’t be more thankful to Candy and Mark for uniting me with this little angel. I look forward to Kennedy being there as I continue my life as a young adult, start a family, and am so grateful that she will always be there as a loving and unconditionally faithful friend for me.
–Virginia