Have you ever heard of the saying “who saved who”?

         Up until a few months ago neither had I. But not long after I brought my furry little pup home my mother sent me a picture frame, and on it was printed the phrase “who saved who”.

         I found my new best friend on accident. I had wanted a dog for a while now but, being on college, didn’t think I had time for a puppy. But knowing I was searching for a golden retriever specifically, my friend Hope* sent me a link online to a family that had a littler of golden retriever puppies.

         I remember it was the longest car ride in the world, driving an hour and a half to meet her for the first time! I had reached out and they responded almost immediately explaining to me that they’d recently had a female golden return to them from a less than great home. So my friend Alison was in the car with me jamming to Broadway Hits as we pulled up to the house a week or so later and I could see Violet running in the yard. I got out as the owners told me that she may be a little shy so not to be too forward with her. But to all of our surprise, she came right up to me, sniffing my pant legs and wagging her tail!

         After only a few minutes she was running through the yard with me an Al playing fetch. The family was baffled, explaining to me that they hadn’t seen her this happy since she’d returned to them. I played with her for almost an hour before we decided to test the waters a little more. She had apparently been very shy about her kennel and her space, whimpering or cowering when someone would come near, but as I crawled up to the door slowly sitting next to it she seemed absolutely fine. Wagging her tail she played with me as I knelt down with a leg in the door and reached for a toy. It was like she had decided then and there that I must be fine because she was playing with me like nothing was wrong.

         Now I know for anyone not familiar with dogs that have been abused or mistreated, you’re probably thinking “okay so you played with her near her kennel… and?” but that’s the point. That is her safe space, her home, and for knowing me only about an hour, it was incredible the connection that was already clear to all of us.

         I visited her two more times, coming up for about an hour and a half to play with her, run around, and visit before the family decided I was the right fit for her. On the day I was finally able to bring her home, Alison came with me again to help with the ride and we took our nervous little pup back to campus. She was more loved already by the girls across the hall then she could possibly have imagined.

         We’ve now been taking care of our little angel for about two months and she has been an absolute blessing! Her favorite past times are playing fetch up and down the hallways, going for walks in the snow with my boyfriend and I, and cuddling up on my bed and trying to pull my homework away from me.

         I didn’t exactly understand it at the time, the depth of a saying like that, “who saved who”. But when you look at all of the animals we see in shelters nowadays, thrown away by careless owners, or found wandering the streets abandoned with a torn up collar but no home, we think we are saving them. We think that by bringing them home and loving and caring for them we are making their lives better.

         When really… I think it became clear when I brought home Violet that there was more to it. She had only been living with me for two weeks when I had a migraine from hell. one of those migraines where even opening your eyes sends a stabbing pain through your brain. And she, being only a year old puppy, jumped up onto my bed and curled up at my legs and lay there with me for hours. As I started to cry when the pain got too bad, she set her paw on my arm and just started licking me, as if to say “you’re gonna be okay”. And I realized that maybe I hadn’t noticed it at first, but she wasn’t the lucky one.

         So take a minute and really appreciate your pets, your fluffy slobbering dogs that get fur everywhere, or your seemingly grumpy but cuddly cats that look sometimes like they may be planning your death., and honestly ask yourself that question.

Who really saved who?

Love, Me