It was Always you, Athena...

You know when you find yourself in a dark mental slump that, no matter how hard you fight and try, you just can't seem to get out of? Yup... that's exactly where my journey with this little one begins.

You see, I have been struggling with Anxiety and Panic Disorder for years now and have tried everything to help ease my symptoms. I have tried basically anything I could think of to make the day to day more bearable with little to no avail.

Cue to December of 2022 when I was having one of those days. One of those dark days where, for the life of me, my brain just would not shut up. Now, mind you, I had always heard and read about the benefits of pets on our mental

health. Don't ask me how or why but, on that day, I guess my body was so ready to calm down in some way that it remembered this information. After some self research and with my adrenaline pumping I knew that it was time. It was now or never! It was time not only get a little furry companion that I could: care for, look after, watch grow, and help ground me, but it was also time to fulfill my life-long dream of having a fur baby (plot twist... I have always been a feline person... look how that turned out! HA!)

Knowing now that cats are more independent, I figured that for my mental health I would need something that would want more attention from me. I decided that I would try for a canine instead. I had in my heart that I would adopt my fur baby from a shelter, and so began my quest to find the right one. With my adrenaline pumping, I began frantically: searching, applying and calling shelters, with no luck at all. One of the shelters denied my application almost immediately "due to my work hours" (despite me letting them know I have other family members at home while i'm away during the day that could look out for the dog) and, to this day, I have not heard anything back from the others I applied for. Thankfully for me, fate had something else in mind!

I decided I would take matters in a different direction. I went on pet finder websites and searched for anyone that had a fur baby available in the area for sale. I found a listing for a 8-week old female Dachshund puppy who looked ADORABLE in her post. Her family had decided to name her Lola. I called the number and inquired about that particular puppy only to find out that she had actually been sold that same day BUT, to my luck and blessing, they informed me that they still had her SISTER available. After requesting to get pictures/video to see her, they sent me a video that night. Immediately when I saw that four-legged baby, when I saw that face and the innocence in those eyes, I knew. I just somehow KNEW in my core that SHE was my Athena. The family also agreed to FaceTime me and, after seeing her in action and settling on a price, I was sold and made plans to pick her up the very next day.

As a proud new fur-mom-to-be, I went and purchased all the essentials for her homecoming and took the 2-hour drive to go get her. Yes, it was a 2-hour drive to get to her and I will never forget or regret that day as long as I live. When she was brought out of the car to be handed over to me, the gentleman opened her crate and I saw this: tiny, adorable, shaky little baby. Within seconds, my instinct kicked in and I called out to her "Athena, come here baby" and let me tell you... she did not hesitate. It was a sign and love at first sight for both of us. Once she was in my arms, I knew that I would protect this little fur baby as long as she would part of our family and our home. On the car ride home I could feel her snuggling with me under her blanket as if asking for protection and warmth from me. I knew that she was seeing me as her Alpha. She was seeing me as her mom and her tiny little life now depended on me. I made sure and vowed from that initial meeting to be the best dog-mom I could be, no matter what that entailed.

I'm still learning how to properly care for her, protect her, and do the best by her (thank God for my husband who has plenty of past dog-dad experience!) but, what I do know is that she will never have anyone love her more than this fur-momma. Anytime things get rough, I go back to that video and to our first meeting. I remember how she imprinted on me from that moment and how my heart just knew that she was meant to be mine. I can confidently and wholeheartedly say that she was ALWAYS meant to be my Athena.