THIS ABSOLUTE SUNSHINE OF A DOG π
This might be long so, if you don't feel like reading right now, there's a TL/DR in the end (and many pictures of my adorable dog).
STORYTIME: In November 2022, I moved in with a long-term boyfriend (now ex). I had never lived with someone else before, it was my first time moving out. As a housewarming gift (and to make sure I wouldn't feel alone), my mom got me this weird frenchie puppy girl. She wasn't ready to come home for a while but him and I were sooo excited. We made plans about how we were gonna puppy-proof the house, about where in the city we could take her for a walk, we even named her Athena (since boyfriend was from Athens). But I wasn't yet aware that this little bitch would be a narcissistic prick that took pleasure in making me unhappy and taking good things away from me. As soon as he learned that my puppy was ready to come home, he changed his mind. We couldn't have her anymore. I was so heartbroken.
Months had passed and my life was slowly turning into hell inside that apartment and all I could think about was my baby girl. I never stopped trying to convince him to say yes. She was living at my mom's, her new name was Zoi (which means "life" in Greek) and every time I came to visit, she made it clear that I was her favorite human and that she loved me so much.. it was a soul connection. She was the one to give me the strength and the courage I needed to leave that pathetic man's ass. I packed my things as soon as he left for work and I was out of there before he had returned. I had enough money saved up to get a new apartment and be with her, just me and her. So I did. I even started furnishing & decorating it. But the weight of his abuse weighed heavy on me. I was living by myself now, for the first time, and had a lot of new responsibilities to handle alone. I was overwhelmed, hurt, emotionally drained, unproductive and broke... it was all too much and, unfortunately, by the end of 2023, I fell into a severe depression.
But my girl was just a baby. I couldn't neglect her. I had to get out of bed every day, clean after her, feed her, walk her, bathe her, train her... she was the only motivation I had. And her happiness, her silliness, her funny little face and her love were enough to keep me going, day after day until I got just enough strength to finally seek help. And I KNOW that if she wasn't there, things would've turned out way different.
I'm so grateful to have survived then so I could be here now, sharing this beautiful life with my best friend. We're inseparable. I truly believe that she's my guardian angel, who found a way to physically come into this Earth to take care of me and be my companion when I needed the most. Now we're doing great, still recovering, but we made so much progress. She's still saving my ass every day. My life now is nowhere near how it was back when I decided to leave that place and come home to her. She changed my life. ππ
TL/DR: the biggest change I've made in my life was leaving a toxic situation to be with my dog - she ended up being my only light when I found myself in very a dark place and she guided me out safely, saving my life many times. β¨
@PENNY @KYRIE