The Furry, Little Love of My Life

July 3, 2007
He looks at me with those amber-brown eyes so full of love and trust, and no matter what else is going on in my heart it is always softened by this little dog looking back at me. I have been reminded all the more the past couple of days how much I love this furry monster.
Sir Philippi Aragorn Wallace...he is one of the true gentlemen...protective, playful, faithful, and loving. He will be 8 in December, and he will have been my own sweet puppy for 4 years around the middle of this month. I remember the first day I met him...
I wasn't even looking for a dog. I wanted one, but I was still in my senior year at Mercer (no pets allowed for campus residents!) so a dog was a distant thought. And I didn't think I could ever own another Jack Russell after the heartbreak of losing Kipper. Momma, however, did want a dog, and asked me to go with her to Jeff and Mary Anne's (now friends of ours, we met them first as the breeders we got Kipper from) to help her pick out a Jack Russell from their "shelter". Mary Anne let all the dogs out of their kennels and they all ran to say hello, but Phil, well let's just say he knew I was the one and only mommy for him. He "marked" his territory at the casualty of my leg and left to stretch his legs with a good run. Back he came though, and right into my lap. It was not strange for him to be friendly, mused Mary Anne, but to be so familiar...well, that wasn't expected. We played for a little while before saying our goodbyes and back to Macon and Mercer I went.
A few days later my roommates, Brigid and Erin, were talking about getting a dog. This would have to be top secret of course, but surely we could keep it on the d.l. until the end of the semester. That was only a couple of months aways, and besides one of my best friends was the RA for our building. He said it would be cool with him. Of course, I knew just the dog for us to get so I called Momma to ask about Phil. Kevin (yes a girl named Kevin) didn't want to have to hide a dog in our apartment though, so plans for Phil were postponed. I counted down the days until graduation, probably more excited about getting Phil than I was about finally finishing 4 years of college.
But, as it happened, it wasn't until July that I was able to go home and get my Phil Dog. He knew though, the day that I came back that I was coming for him. He happily ran to me and jumped excitedly into the car. And so we've been ever since, true-blue, stuck like glue, best friends forever.
I know that God meant for him to be my dog. He was 4 years old before I got him. And his poor little doggy heart, I'm sure, had been broken, because he had gone to live with another family at one point only to be returned to the breeders because he was abused. But now he's with me. And over the past few years he's become less apprehensive and insecure, more playful and trusting. Momma says it's been good "doggy therapy" for him to be my dog, but I say he's the one who picked me. And now, he's the furry, little love of my life.