Scraps

I had always wanted a speckled weiner dog. I didn't actually think they existed as I had never seen one before and I never thought to google one. In 2014 I moved into my own apartment and wanted a dog. I did not want to live completely alone. I began the search for my dream dog. I had low expectations on finding a speckled weiner dog so I looked into all types of the breed. I checked into my local shelters and even met several dogs but I had a gut feeling that I needed to keep looking. One day I happened on a Craigslist ad. All it said was that they were looking to rehome their wiener dog to a good family. There was no picture but I took a leap of faith and called the number.

A lady called me back and let me know they were thinking of taking the ad down. They had a few other dogs and animals and she (the mom) felt she was the only one taking care and couldn't fully provide for this pup. She said she wanted to give her family another week to see if they could all step up to help. I was a bit saddened over this but very much respected that. It truly showed me this dog had a good owner that did care for it and she wasn't just going to throw in the towel. I figured that was that and began searching more for other dogs, but still nothing felt right.

A week had gone by and I received another call from the same lady. She said that they were ready to rehome the dog as the week had not worked out. I was very excited and she asked if I wanted to see pictures of him and to my surprise he was a speckled weiner dog, a dapple dachshund. A few days later my then boyfriend (now husband) and I drove 2 hours to meet our new puppy to be. His previous owner provided us with food, toys and potty pads (haha.) We took him home that day and celebrated with "In and Out."

Over the next few months Scraps and I bonded. He was always by my side, he slept with me at night and became one of my biggest supports when times got hard. Some months after I adopted Scraps I was verbally abused by my boss. At the time I was a preschool teacher and this event happened in front of my 3 year old class. It takes a lot to control a room of 3 year olds and still keep the class fun and light hearted. After they had witnessed what happened with my boss they lost the respect for me I had worked so hard to gain. For months after this event I began to get very very sick from the stress of it all. I lost over 20 pounds, my hair became very thin, and I began to suffer from anxiety. My boyfriend and I had not begun living together until after our wedding so I spent most of my nights unable to sleep. Scraps seemed to know what was going on and became the teddy bear I very much needed.

There were times where I just needed to cry and he would always cuddle up to me and let me hold him as I needed. Having scraps also pushed me to go outside for walks, to get out of bed and to be strong again. He was also a big support when my anxiety would get the best of me (it was the worst in crowded places) hugging him was an amazing release for me. I eventually had to leave this job, but I felt like a failure for the longest time. Scraps being there helped me see the light at the end of the tunnel even if it was a ways away I could see it.

That same year my husband proposed to me, slowly a heartbreaking time became the most magical time of my life and Scraps was with me every step of the way. Scraps was a groomsman in our wedding (even though he growled at our photographer hehe) and is basically our child. Having him brightens our home in so many ways. I wish I could speak dog to say thank you.