I have had dogs all of my life – literally. I do not remember a time when I did not have a dog. At some points in my life I have had two dogs…although I currently have one. She is a labradoodle, black, fluffy, and full of life. She was born on the 4th of July and has been my truly faithful and loyal companion and BFF since the day I got her in the middle of nowhere in central FL. I fell in love with her that day, and have been in love with her ever since. At the time when she came in to my life, I also had a small Sheltie named Coco…Coco was not a big fan of Lylah, as she took away a lot of Coco’s attention and certainly stole the show.
I was 40 years old, and had just been through pretty major surgery, the result of which was a definitive promise that I would not be able to have a biological child; so, Lylah became my substitute. A little ball of black fluff, Lylah would eat – no, destroy – any socks and clothing which appeared in her path. Although she was never a destructive dog, even as a puppy, Lylah had the ability to destroy INDESTRUCTIBLE pet toys such as ropes and stuffed toys. She would literally tear them to shreds, with the strings or stuffing scattered all over the place – but hey, it was better than furniture or shoes!
When Lylah was 2 I found out I was pregnant…and guess what – the definitive promise of no kids was soon overturned. She was 3 by the time that her other BFF, my now 6-year-old son Zevi, was born…and I think her life changed almost as much as mine (OK that’s an exaggeration but you get the point). Lylah, who had always had free reign of the house since
being crate-trained as a pup, started taking food and other items off of the counters, and ripping them to shreds and leaving a trail in her path. Thankfully, despite Zevi’s constant harassment and over-attentive nature, Lylah never snapped, growled or bit him. We were very lucky because at times he thought she was a horse that he could ride, and at other times thought she was a baseball or a target. Today, they are almost inseparable and when Lylah tore her ACL and needed surgery recently (THAT was NOT FUN), Zevi was heartbroken that she could not play with him and felt so badly that she was suffering.
I work from home. Lylah is always by my side (unless Zevi is there). Through good and bad times, Lylah is there with a friendly lick or wagging tail. Always ready to play, walk or jump (maybe the reason for the torn ACL), I have never had a dog as wonderful, warm or special as she is, and I treasure her gentle and demeanor, concern for Zevi (and me), and loving warmth. She is a unique 9-year-old puppy and I wouldn’t trade her for anything!
