My Savior

The first time I saw her was an ad on Gumtree of all places. My parents were the ones that said they wanted a dog since the two we had were pretty old boarding the ages of 14 and 16, pretty good for a dog, so if one was to tragically pass the other would still have someone with them. Hopes were already so high that when a month later of promises my mother decides to wait it out for a bit. Could be a few months, could be a few years. I was pretty crushed, I was already in a tough spot with me on the brink of losing my job and all of my friends, I felt like I needed this to keep me grounded. Or just sane.

So.. I did what any rational human would do and decided to get myself a dog. Must admit though, wasn’t the smartest thing for me to do. I was winging this like I did my Year 12 exams. For such a large responsibility I should have slept on it or thought about it for a second before rushing headfirst, but the thought had already implemented itself in my head and it wasn’t leaving.

I had a brief conversation with my mum about my plans to adopt. By brief I mean more like, “Mum, I’m getting a puppy.” With the promise to take care of them, I went to my room in search of a dog. And find her I did. It didn’t take long. A quick search for a King Charles Cavalier leads me straight to her. She was gorgeous. I leapt from my bed, determined to show my parents the treasure I had found.

Mum, though agreed she was gorgeous, had a look about her that resembled doubt over getting another dog after just deciding to hold off. She wasn’t any help with my decision, so I went outside to talk to my dad. 10 minutes outside was all it took for me and my dad to have an agreed date to pick her up the following week.

It was all happening so fast that when the day came to pick her up it didn’t feel real. It was a four-hour drive there, another four hours back. It was just me and my dad going, with my savings stashed away in my bag and a box with a blanket ready to pick up the new addition to our family. It was finally happening.

Pulling into their drive away gave me the creeps. Their house was in the mild of nowhere with a five-minute drive to their nearest neighbor. Going up the front porch, my dad knocked on their front door.

The Lady opened the door with the puppy hanging off her arm. We barely got out any greetings before the dog was placed in my arms before being invited inside. Walking in and sitting on her floral print couch in their living area.

I was starting to get worried. The dog in the photo on the gumtree ad honestly looked healthier. The one the lady handed me was dirty and the fur was matted. She wasn’t moving, just limply hanging off my knees.

My hand felt grimy as I ran it through her fur while I listened to the Lady talk about how to take care of a dog. It wasn’t until the Lady left to get the paperwork that I leaned forward to get a good look at the pups’ face. Our eyes met and she licked my nose. In that moment I knew there was no turning back. My heart felt lighter, and the stress of life disappeared from my shoulders. I gave her a kiss on the head and hugged her close to my chest.

My dad, sitting across from me, wasn’t so sure about getting her with the state that she was in. Cutting off a limb would have hurt less then to leave her behind. A bond had already formed between me and the dog so leaving her wasn’t an option. The Lady walked back in with everything ready for me to pay.

It didn’t take long for us to leave after a quick talk of vaccines. I just wanted to get home and introduce her to the family.

The drive back was pretty uneventful, every time I put her in her box she would jump out onto my lap. She wouldn’t leave my side. It was an odd feeling. All the other pets we have had always had a favourite and I always wasn’t one. It was a nice change.

My family loved her and yet my concern spiked again when it seemed she struggled to walk for the first couple of days of being home. It wasn’t anything to worry about though, she was running around, biting tails of the older dog, and just making a general mess.

My closest friends came over to see her and we had to decide on a name. I was thinking Lady, can’t go wrong with Lady and the Tramp. One of my friends had thought of Hazel and as much as I loved classic Disney movies, I loved hazelnuts even more. Especially hazelnut chocolate.

Then trouble strikes. Within a week of having, the newly named, Hazel we had to rush her to the vet. The bloody dog had gotten under the stove and dug out rat poison left by the last tenants. Palettes were strewn across the floor and there she was chewing on them. She had just turned 8 weeks and was small enough that she could die from them.

It was nothing really to worry about though. Apparently, the palettes have a bitter taste that dogs don’t like. So as a precaution we went home with medication for her for the next couple of days.

Then tragedy strikes. Our oldest dog has cancer. After a month of antibiotics, we had to put him down. It was hard for all of us. It was at this time where it was my breaking point. I cut off all of my friends, I was having mental breakdowns and anxiety attacks over the smallest of things. I wasn’t coping.

It could have been that I knew something bad was happening but either way Hazel turned into my support system. She would lie next to me if she knew something was wrong. Slowly she pulled me out of my depressive state, and I will always be grateful for her.

Whether if it was the constant need to clean up after her, feeding her or when I’d play fight my siblings and she would attack me instead or even the simple task of walking and Hazel would jump on the back of my calves in order to get me to stop and pay attention to her. I love her and I don’t know what I would have done with out her in my life.