I was sitting on the couch with my blonde Chihuahua Corgi draped across my lap like a blonde fur blanket struggling to come up with a topic for this article when inspiration hit me. It came to me in the form of Lucy, my beloved nine-year-old dog who will always remain a puppy in my eyes.
My parents first introduced me to Lucy via FaceTime while on their Hawaii vacation. I was looking at the video chat staring at a pixilated image that didn't give the beauty of the magical island of Kauai justice when I first set eyes on my future blonde nugget. I so vividly remember my first thought when my parents told me they were thinking about taking Lucy, then named Tequila Rose, back home with them.
“Are you freaking kidding me? With six dogs, don’t you think it’s time to call it quits? Plus, she’s tiny, she’ll be squished in two seconds the moment you put her down.”
For once, I am so glad my parents didn’t listen to me because two weeks later, I was able to see Tequila Rose for the first time and that pixilated camera did NOT do her cuteness justice either!
I always like to tell the story of the first time I set eyes on Lucy. I arrived at the Home Depot parking lot at 4:30 in the morning, coming home from a somewhat disappointing swim meet in Wisconsin.
To make matters worse, I was also suffering from the pains of an ingrown toenail and the exhaustion that accompanies traveling for out-of-state swim meets. When my dad told me he had brought me a gift from Hawaii, my starving mind immediately thought of those delectable milk chocolate and caramel covered macadamia nuts that we practically lived on for months following their Hawaii vacations.
So when I stepped off the humid and stuffy bus into the freezing mist at 4:32 in the morning, I froze when I saw my dad cuddling a gigantic caramel macadamia nut. I think it’s safe to say I was a bit delirious at the moment.
It wasn’t until I had crossed the parking lot with my overstuffed chlorine stained traveling bag that I realized it was…a way cuter, softer, and fluffier version of the dog I saw on FaceTime and let me tell you, she would continue to smell like tropical flowers for the next three months.
Over the next couple years, I am proud to say that Lucy became my sidekick, even if I took to great lengths to get her by my side. This included stealing her from my dad's bedroom, stealing her from my dad's chair, and pretty much stealing her from my dad in general. It was a war for who would earn the right to call Lucy "their" dog. In the end, my persistence won out and eventually, she found herself following me all the way to college.
Lucy has been with me through so many highs and lows, licking my tears from my face as I poured my soul into her huge chihuahua eyes and absorbing the tears she wasn't able to lick quick enough into her thick blonde corgi coat. She's been there for all my accomplishments and happy moments; always by my side and consistently there to share my joy.
I know the saying, "A dog is a man's best friend" might be overused at times. However, I truly believe the bond that I have with Lucy, my little tequila rose, truly encompasses exactly that. Lucy became my number one canine companion the moment I first held her on that dreary morning in the Home Depot parking lot.
