A Little White Dog

I don't know if this story will make the top three, and I don't care. I've been wanting to start writing on this platform for awhile now; what better way to start than it being about the best thing to ever happen to me.

I didn't have the worst childhood, but it certainly could have been better. It may get written down eventually, but you'll get pieces of it for this story.

My senior year of high school, my father's dogs had a second litter of purebred boxer puppies. I consider my dog a rescue because of how I saw his parents living. Both large dogs were constantly locked in a crate made for one medium sized dog, were beaten for "bad behavior" that was simply a lot of energy and lack of training, malnutrition... I could keep going.

I was a teenager, old enough to take them for walks, but they had moved several hours away, and I wasn't allowed out of the house by either of my parents (I had a very short leash). I loved the dogs, and felt like we were both in the same boat. Constantly blamed for what was not our fault.

When momma dog gave birth, one of the puppies somehow got stuck, and my father brought her down for emergency surgery. All of the puppies began living with my grandma, who lived about five minutes away from my mother. Nana couldn't take care of a newborn litter by herself, so I helped. Seven boys and two girls.

My mom made me get a job during my sophomore year, and I went to a tech school for two years on top of my last two years of school. I'm an insomniac with ADHD. I barely slept, ate, and struggled with thoughts of suicide.

So when I got to take care of the puppies, and Nana saw how much work I put into them, I was allowed to pick one as a graduation present. I've never talked to my family about the depression I felt then, but those dogs may have saved my life.

I waited until the puppies were a few weeks old and showing some personality before I picked. And he was perfect.

My dog Wayde is named after my favorite Marvel character, Wade Wilson, aka Deadpool. He was the mouthiest baby, but he's extremely quiet now. Solid white with some freckles and his right eye cut in half with blue.

This wouldn't be the only time my Wade would save me. Within the next year I was kicked out of my mom's house because I (a legal adult) wanted to spend the night at my boyfriends house. I moved in with Nana, and my ex moved in with us. After we had been engaged for about a year we got married on Halloween 2019, but it lasted less than a year.

My ex had gotten fired for missing too much time at work, and while I didn't mind picking up the slack, he went through another several jobs that he claimed weren't good enough for him until he got his original job back.

It wasn't in the same position, and after one week he quit in the middle of the day.

We fought for a two weeks. He kept asking why I couldn't just get over it, said he was sorry, got angry fought with me and would apologize all over again.

After those two weeks we had our last big fight, and completely unprompted and without being threatened, told me he could put my head through a wall.

Two weeks after that I packed up what little I had, we separated in August 2020, and I went to Nana's again. I felt so ashamed, heartbroken. The whole time we were married I'd had to leave Wade with my grandma. We'd moved into his family's trailer (issues with my father), and I couldn't take him.

Wade got me through depression again. He forgave me like I'd never left.

I could never afford my own place with my ex, so after I saved up I finally moved out. I have a roommate, we live in our own apartment, Wade has almost all the freedom he wants and plays with other dogs all the time. I'm looking into getting another.

I got divorced in November 2020, and I've been seeing someone else. Wade and I go everywhere together, and he gets spoiled rotten. He's been the best dog. I'll never find another like him.

It's 2021, and with the pandemic it's just been us and close family, but I've never felt so good. And I'm glad my best friend was there for me through the last four years.