So we travel to Texas, we have fun and work hard for Jake's dad's business at the North Texas State Fair, and overall it was an awesome time. The closing night of the fair, which was also the night before our first wedding anniversary, Jake randomly got a Facebook message from Dawn. She said that her family would be willing to separate the dogs, if we were still interested. I remember seeing Jake looking at his phone, and then jumping up and down and yelling for me, a huge grin on his face. He quickly explained the situation and I kind of couldn't believe it. I was excited, but still very wary. We'd had so many instances like this fall through over the past year that I really was thinking that this would turn out to be nothing. Jake and Dawn decided that the day after we got back to Utah, we would stop by and meet the dogs.

When we arrived back in Utah, I was already very nervous about the situation. We ended up stopping by the day we flew in, just so we could meet the dogs and see if we liked each other, because we were both so anxious. I remember seeing Zoe and her "sister" Sophie, and being completely baffled by how tiny Sophie was. Sophie was a black miniature dachshund about the size of a Chihuahua, so MAJOR emphasis on the "miniature" part. She also shook constantly, and just generally looked unhappy about life. Zoe, on the other hand, was a sweetheart. The second I stooped down so I could coo at her, she came closer. Her tail was wagging, her eyes were bright and inquisitive, and she licked my face several times. I looked up at Jake and he said "Yup, I think that's the one. Zoe's perfect."

This was when we learned about Zoe's past. The owner that had her and Sophie before Dawn took them in treated these dogs like crap. They were kept chained up outside, 24/7, no matter the weather. They lived down the street from Dawn, and she told us that she never once saw Zoe or Sophie be given any sort of affection or attention. Learning this broke our hearts, of course, but we were also amazed at how loving Zoe was. She'd come from such a terrible home, and yet she was full of joy and kindness.

We left Dawn's house and hurried to the store to buy a bed, and dog food for Zoe. That night I could hardly sleep; it still didn't feel real that we were finally getting a dog! But we picked Zoe up the next morning, said a million "thank yous" to Dawn, and started our drive back to Idaho. Zoe has been a major part of our family ever since. The more we've gotten to know Zoe, the more amazed we are at how gentle, sweet, and loving she is. She is the most hardcore cuddler I have ever met, and has never once bitten us (or anyone else for that matter) out of anger. She is truly a miracle dog.