Little did I know when I first saw a picture of Zoey (formerly known as Sapphire), that I would be making the best impulse decision of my life. Happy Birthday baby girl!

Luke and I both knew that we were going to adopt a dog together one day, but since we had so much going on and lived in an apartment we figured it wouldn’t be for a while. Well one day a local rescue, Penny’s All Breed Animal Rescue, shared a photo on Facebook of the cutest little husky mix puppy so of course I had to show Luke. I told him we should adopt her, only half joking. I had seen other dogs and pups shared before but there was something about this little girl. Just seeing her photo melted our hearts.

We started talking about whether or not it was realistic to get a dog when Luke was about to go in for a second transplant and I had just begun my career. Could we really offer a good home to this sweet little pup? Would we be able to afford it and devote the time necessary? There were a lot of reasons not to get a dog right then, but there was just something about her. I could not stop staring at her picture.

Luke and I decided to stop by an adoption event held at a local petsmart in hopes that she would be there. We were disappointed that she wasn’t there but started talking with one of the ladies from the rescue about wanting to meet her and they said we just had to fill out the adoption application and we could set up a time to meet with the foster mom. Suddenly this baby girl went from being hypothetical to real.

On my birthday we we drove out to meet the little girl who’s photo stole our hearts. She was so shy at first and just wandered around the big open room exploring. Then the foster mom said I could hold her. As soon as she was in my arms this little nervous puppy settled down and a sense of calm and completion washed over us. She melted into me and from that moment on Luke and I knew this was our baby.

That night we went out and got supplies and did our best to ready our apartment for the new arrival. After work the next day we went to pick up our fluffy baby and suddenly our family of three became four. Life hasn’t been the same since and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Zoey has been so much more than a pet to me. She is my saving grace. She gave Luke and I so much since joining our family. Luke was absolutely infatuated with her and to see how happy she made him in the midst of all the chaos that was our lives. She was a dream come true for us. Every moment with her was an adventure and to see Luke’s puppy dreams actualized was a blessing. Through all of the ups and downs of this year Zoey has been a consistent beam of light.

Over the last few months Zoey has filled my home and my heart with so much laughter and love. She keeps me active, motivates me to take care of myself, and to be brutally honest she gives me a reason to live. Losing Luke is the hardest thing I’ve ever had to go through, but having Zoey has made each day more bearable. I see so much of my Lukey in her from her smile, her goofy personality and they way she smothers me with kisses, to her loud snores and stinky farts.

Happy First Birthday my sweetest Zoey girl. Momma loves you so much and hopes you remember just how much Daddy loved you too.

Ps. As you can tell I had trouble narrowing the photos