Fluffy Saves the Day

I was only two or three years of age when I got the gift of a lifetime. A gift I treasured for years; my soon-to-be best friend. Her name was Fluffy, she was a cute small ball of fur. Fluffy, a full-bred German Shepherd, was nine weeks old when we got her. She quickly become more than just a pet and a friend; she was my family. Everywhere I went there was Fluffy, she followed me all around the house and backyard. Just like most people that welcome fur babies into their homes, we shared a ton of great memories together. Some memories were fun and hilarious and some were those that were just so amazing one can never forget.

Fluffy was like most German Shepherds, very smart, loyal, and had a mind all her own. Once Fluffy was gone and I was older my mom had to remind me of some of those funny times we shared together like when we would be running around the backyard and for some reason Fluffy would be chasing behind me biting at my pamper. She would bite it so much that I would be left with a giant hole on my bottom. My little baby butt would be peaking out of what was left of my pamper. It always made my mom laugh when she would remind me of those moments. I can only imagine what would go through my mind at the time.

When Fluffy and I were a little older, I was around eight years of age and Fluffy was six; she was very helpful when it came time to put all three of our rabbits in their cages. We had three rabbits that we would let run around the backyard for a few hours here and there. When the time came to put the bunnies back into their cages, it was always a challenge. They were fast and would dodge each of my moves when I would chase after them. That's when Fluffy would come to the rescue, she would sit and watch until the moment she saw I needed help. She’d spring into action, and one by one she would place one paw on their backs and hold them down so I could easily scoop them up and place them back into their cages. It was always so amazing to me how smart and how gentle she was with each of the bunnies. They didn’t stand a chance with Fluffy by my side.

Fluffy and I shared so many great moments together, but there is one memory that I will never forget and even talk about it now to my own kids. At the time, this memory took place when I was nine or ten years old and I remember my parents sternly reminding us to not go anywhere near the far back of the yard. I can’t remember exactly what was happening to our yard or house, but there was some sort of construction taking place. They had made this giant and deep hole in the yard and we were warned several times to not go near it. We seemed to listen, that is until one day. After a few days of straight rain, the hole in the back was filled with water all the way to the point it was spilling out into the yard. So, the yard was pretty soaked and squishy; being the nosy kids, we were we went to go look at the water-filled hole. I followed my older sister's lead straight to the hole. I remember standing close and just watching. I was scared to get too close to it because I had no idea how to swim, so I didn’t want to fall in and die. My older sister on the other hand was a bit more curious and got as close as possible. We started throwing rocks and sticks into the water each wondering the depth of the hole.

Fluffy was in the background barking at us, I suppose it was her way of telling us to stay away from the watery hole. We ignored her and continued to throw rocks and sticks, then as I remember it, I heard my sister yell, and then there was a splash. It all happened so fast that I didn’t even see her fall in. I stood there yelling her name but she wouldn’t respond. I then saw the splashing of the water and my sister trying her best to reach the top but continued to fail. I began crying like the little dork that I was. I was about to turn around and run inside to call my mom when I saw Fluffy zoom passed me straight for the hole. Fluffy jumped into the water without hesitation and grabbed my sister by her hair. I saw Fluffy struggling to pull my sister to the top with her. I was so terrified that I would lose both of them in that hole. I ran inside as Fluffy was attempting to rescue my sister. My parents and I came running out of the house, by that time Fluffy was already out of the hole with my sister's hair still in her mouth and she was pulling her with all her strength out of the water. My dad reached them and grabbed my sister from the ground away from that watery hole. Fluffy backed away and shook off all the water from her fur. I remember being so scared and crying thinking I had lost my sister and if it wasn’t for the heroic Fluffy, my sister might not be here today.

That day, that moment, Fluffy was not only my pet, my best friend, and my family, she was a hero. She didn’t think twice about her own safety, all she cared about was the safety of the ones she loved.