Kirby, My EmPAWyee of the Month Candidate

I believe my dog Kirby is a worthy candidate for the title EmPAWyee of the Month.

Kirby entered my life in January 2021, and he has been the best pooch I could have possibly asked for. He's a small-to-medium-sized dog, gentle-natured, loves belly rubs, and I find his story so inspiring.

Kirby is an adopted dog who was found roaming in the Ozarks in Arkansas. The stray pup was taken to an animal shelter, and then he was brought up to Michigan to another shelter. At this point, he was taken to a foster home, but unfortunately, he couldn't stay there long because his caretaker couldn't look after him, so he moved to yet another foster home. At this point, my girlfriend set up a meeting with him, and we met together at a pet store. We were getting our first dog together, and we wanted to make sure it felt right.

I'm a tall, lanky fellow with lousy posture, which I feel like dogs hate. I've had a long history of dogs barking at me, and I've even had a couple of dogs attack me even though I did nothing to them. But Kirby didn't bark once when I met him. In fact, Kirby let me hold him and walk him around the pet store on a leash. It felt natural from the moment we met and spent time together strolling around the store.

We settled on Kirby's name that night because both of us are huge Nintendo fans, and we were brainstorming names that would fit him after meeting him. So yes, he is named after the lovable pink sentient sphere, Kirby. Our dog wears a bright pink body harness on walks, and his dog tag is a bright pink circle. For this Halloween, we're planning on getting him a Kirby hat for his costume. Much like the Nintendo character, he eats anything you put in front of him. Fortunately, he doesn't transform into the food he eats or gains any special abilities.

One of the benefits of working from home is getting that extra rest and not having to scramble out of bed to get ready for work on time. I can check my phone and respond to emails from the comfort of my mattress, and Kirby doesn't beg to get up. He can stay curled up in a ball the entire morning if you let him. Kirby goes at my pace, and I'm grateful for that.

When I'm in my home office working, Kirby will sometimes sit on my lap or sit on the little couch next to my desk. When I'm done working for the day, he loves to play with his chew toys. After dinner, he loves laying in between my legs over a blanket. Kirby also does that at night as I'm reading before bed.

Occasionally Kirby gives kisses on the nose but isn't overbearing with them. Although, if I leave and come back home after a few hours, Kirby gives me an enthusiastic welcome that makes a "Price is Right" contestant look like a zombie.

Every night, Kirby sleeps curled up next to me. I can feel his little body on my hip or legs. One of the most heartwarming moments between Kirby and me happened when I was asleep in the middle of the night. I had a nightmare where I was lying in my bed, and I heard high-pitch demonic laughter all throughout the room. Something clutched my arms and legs, paralyzing me. I shrieked. I woke up in the middle of crying for help, but I stopped when I realized it was just a nightmare. I took a deep breath, and that's when Kirby walked up to me and rested his head on my chest, something he's never done before. He knew I was feeling afraid and his ability to sense I was in distress pulled at my heartstrings. My mind was put at ease, and I was so thankful to have him there. Whenever I wake up from nightmares like that, it's tough for me to go back to sleep. I have to go on my phone and gaze at humorous memes for an hour to try and settle my mind. But with Kirby next to me, I felt safe immediately. I didn't need the relief from internet humor. Putting my hand on Kirby's back, we both fell back asleep peacefully.

One night, I like to think I returned the favor to Kirby. He was sleeping in between my legs as I was reading, and he began to twitch with his eyes closed, but that's normal for him. Then, his tail started wagging, and he whimpered as if he was in pain. I softly said his name and rubbed his neck, and he woke up right away, looking right up at me and licking my hand. After petting him for a bit, he fell back asleep a few minutes later.

Kirby is part of my family now, and I couldn't imagine it without him. I feel like he's enriched everything, and I feel so happy when I see him. Even when I'm out of the house, I think about him and smile. Sometimes I'll even scroll through my favorite photos of him, and it never fails to bring me joy.

Kirby is my personal EmPAWyee of the Month. Thank you for considering him.