Falling in Love with A Dog…When I Hated Them Before

Mark Twain once said, “The dog is a gentleman; I hope to go to his heaven not man’s”. There are so many dogs on this planet that are purely, authentically beautiful, internally and externally. My own puppy, Kaya Rose Frenchman, is one of those dogs. She is not only my pet, but she is one of my best friends. She expresses her transparent, unconditional love every single day. She loves me, my brother Zach, my parents, my boyfriend, among other certain guests. She demonstrates how much she adores and admires her owners on a regular basis. Someone goes to work for five hours? To her, they’ve been gone for a week. She runs up and jumps on them with her purely authentic joy and excitement. Her precious and jovial energy is palpable and adorable. She never denies pets or belly rubs— she lives for that shit.

She is a uniquely gorgeous Catahoula leopard black mouth cur mix with this stunning coat of a golden brindle pattern and a black foundation. Her face is similar to a black Labrador. She is massive, and to strangers, I imagine she can be intimidating, yet the thing is, she loves humans. She thrives off of being surrounded by positive energy from people. She can’t stand to be alone.

She loves running outside, playing with other dogs at the dog park, and simply sitting on the grass and absorbing the nature that she is encompassed with. She loves simply being in the company of her favorite people, even if she’s just chilling in her big, comfortable doggie bed or chewing on a bone, while my brother, dad, friends, and/or boyfriend, and I are just doing our own thing.

We first brought Kaya home in November of 2021, when my mother and brother drove over to the local SPCA to explore some options that they had for dogs. The thing is…my father and I neither liked dogs, nor had any ounce of desire to own one. My father and I have always been cat people, and my mother and brother have always been dog people. My father grew up with cats, and my mother grew up with dogs, so I can understand their respective biases. I had never enjoyed being in the company of any dog prior to adopting Kaya. I am not entirely sure of the root reason for this, but I believe hearing stories from my parents about their negative experiences with dogs, as well as enduring my own unfavorable experiences, steered me away from engaging with dogs altogether.

Because of our strong adversity to the mere idea of getting a dog, my father and I had specific requests for the type of dog we were willing to bring into the house— the size, if it barks a lot, if it sheds a lot, the age, the appearance— there were all these factors to consider. My father and I never expected for my mother and brother to actually bring home a dog that day…but they did. Kaya was huge to begin with, and my father and I were far from pleased about that. She was two months old when we brought her into our home, and she coincidentally shares a birthday with Zach— September 18th. Despite the initial opposition of the size of Kaya and honestly…generally having a dog in our home, from both me and my father, over these months, Kaya has exhibited an over abundance of love and affection towards me and my family. She makes it nearly impossible not to love and cherish her. Kaya and my best friend, Sylla, have formed an absolutely precious relationship. My father and I never thought we could fall in love with a dog— let alone a big dog. However, Kaya is so beyond special. She is our dog— she’s protective, she’s compassionate, and she can sense our emotions. Whenever I appear to be distressed, sad, upset, or generally despondent or emotional, Kaya can undoubtedly sense it and provides me with her affection and comfort.

At first, Kaya’s behavior was unbearable. As I mentioned, we first brought her in when she was only two months old. Additionally, we did not really have the financial means to afford professional training for her. My father and I began to become extremely irritated and indignant about my mother’s lack of responsibility or initiative in caring for this dog, when she is the reason that we have her. I questioned why she would get a dog when she knew she couldn’t afford training for her. My brother selected Kaya and named her too, yet he was not taking much of any responsibility for her either. My father and I were incredibly disappointed and borderline livid. However, as time went on, and Kaya began to learn, and as we began to try to train her on our own, her behavior improved and the strain in our family caused by the tension around her began to gradually dissipate.

Kaya was named after a Bob Marley song called Kaya. Kaya is a Jamaican slang term for cannabis. Her name indisputably correlates with a collective family passion. I never imagined myself falling in love with a dog. I have always been judged for my adversity to dogs, because everyone loves them. But Kaya is different. Kaya is unique. Kaya is precious. Kaya is my dog. I still don’t like dogs— I like Kaya. I don’t know if I will ever have a complete love for all dogs, and that is perfectly acceptable. With that being said, I now know that I have the ability to form a loving connection with one. Kaya is an authentically beautiful and constantly developing puppy. She picks up on new tricks and commands, and generally learns something everyday. I have never interacted with a dog quite like Kaya. Her passion and admiration for the human race is genuinely radiant and legitimate.

Animals are subjective and that’s a part of their beauty. Before Kaya, we had fish, hermit crabs, and hamsters, only one of which actually served any purpose. Phoebe, my first hamster, was one of my best friends. She was my first emotional support animal, and she meant the world to me. My tiny, but extremely special dwarf hamster got me through some really tough moments and obstacles throughout her life. She unfortunately passed away the day that I received my driver’s license. That day was certainly convoluted, as I had reached a significant milestone and lost my beloved pet, on the same day. After Phoebe’s untimely demise, we got another hamster, Lily. Lily was entirely forgettable, and she died shortly after we got her. Following that, my ex boyfriend got me another hamster for my eighteenth birthday. The third hamster, Nuggie, passed away recently after about a year and a half here. Kaya was truly fascinated by Nuggie and would stare at his cage for hours at a time. I wonder what she thinks happened to him.

After Phoebe’s death up until we got Kaya, I never thought I would be able to discover another genuine emotional support animal. I initially thought Kaya was bothersome and merely high maintenance. I had never liked dogs so I maintained a strong belief that I would not find Kaya to be any sort of an emotional support animal. I simply believed that my mother and brother had made a huge mistake in bringing her home. She was initially just another responsibility and burden on top of our already intense and overwhelming family dynamic. As I began to spend more time with her, she began to spend more with me and trust me, and she began to engage in constant convalescence in learning how to manage her behavior, we started form a truly authentic, compatible, and resplendent rapport. Kaya and I have a wholesome, mutual affinity for each other.

The whole point of me sharing this story is to prove that close-mindedness is restrictive and unhealthy. Maintaining an open mind to all the endless possibilities that life has in store, is crucial to sustaining balance, health, joy, adventure, and education. Everyone learns at least one new idea every single day, and it is essential to digest and utilize each new concept that one learns. I was extremely close-minded for a majority of my life. I would never try new foods or activities, I would never hang out with different people or go new places, I was simply comfortable with remaining within my bubble of familiarity. When I got Kaya, I discovered that open-mindedness truly inaugurates a world of new opportunities and possibilities. My family unexpectedly got a dog, without my or my father’s prior approval, yet my father and I are deeply and wholeheartedly fascinated by and in love with Kaya.

Kaya has proven to me that pets can have a significant impact on their owners’ overall well-being and emotion regulation. Solely petting my puppy can substantially improve my mood and distract me from racing or negative thoughts. Never doubt the power of a pet.

Kaya Rose Frenchman has ratified the concept that I am capable of loving a dog. She has also validated that pets have amazing and significant affects on their owners. I love Kaya and she loves me. She demonstrates her compassion, intelligence, genuine love, affection, and excitement everyday, in some way. I thank her for opening my mind to the plethora of opportunities in this massive world.