By the river

This is Zola. The summer before I turned 14 I visited my mom. On my way out to see her, I had no idea that it would be the trip that most influenced the rest of my life. On July 11th, I noticed that my neighbors had a big pack of puppies playing in their front yard, and of course, being a 14 year old who spent every moment of free time doing something dog related, I had to go see them. The puppies belonged to my neighbor's cousin, who’s golden retriever had escaped and gotten in with some hunting beagles. The product was about 10 fluffy balls of energy. Eventually I ran back home and told my mom she needed to come see something, and dragged her back to the puppies. Long story short, I was told I could pick one out as long as my stepdad was okay with it(which he was), and before I knew it, I’d picked out a little ginger puppy with a curly tail and named her Lady Gorgonzola AKA Zola. Looking back, this wasn’t the most responsible thing for me to do, or for my mom to allow, but it changed my life. For the first three years of her life, Zola wasn’t able to live with me at my dads house, and I was only able to see her on weekends and holidays when I visited my mom. It was hard knowing that Zola wasn’t getting walked as much as I wanted, or getting socialized and given attention the way that I’d want, and I spent those 3 years planning for the day she’d finally be able to live with me. That day finally came during my senior year of high school. The first couple of months that year, I fought endlessly with my mom to convince her I needed Zola and she needed me. There were times when my mom had me convinced she was right; I wasn’t going to be able to take care of Zola properly. Despite my doubts, I kept fighting, and I was finally able to bring her home. After loading her into my car, we stopped at the pet store to buy a bed, food and water bowls, and plenty of toys. That was the first time Zola had ever been in a Pet store(or any store for that matter), and she was completely amazed by the sights and smells. After driving 2 hours, I was able to bring her into a home where she was loved and cared for the way she deserved. Since she had spent so much of her life with very little socialization and training, there was a lot of work to do with her. She had never been to a park, or seen a river, or sat outside a coffee shop with someone and watched the town go by. She had no leash manners and was scared of being around too many people at once, but slowly we built up her confidence and she learned how to navigate life alongside me. This picture was taken on April 14th, 2018, just a few short months after she came to live with me. It was taken on my IPhone 7 camera, with no filters, no HDR, the only editing is rotating the image. It may not seem like a monumental moment, but this was taken after Zola and I walked 1.5 miles from our house to the river, having to navigate not only a fun run that was going on, but also all the owners out letting their dogs enjoy the beautiful day. This was the moment that I realized how much she had improved in just a short period of time, and how much she had changed me for the better. We have helped each other grow into something better, more well rounded, and less scared of the world around us. I would not be where I am or who I am today if I hadn’t chosen that little curly tailed puppy all those years before. Zola is now 6 years old, she is by my side at every possible moment and everyday we are learning and growing together. I will always look back on this picture and feel grateful for all the events that led us to where we are now.