When I first returned home last March, I forced my mom to walk with me around the blocks of our neighborhood with our dog Lucy. Before, we would let her out in the yard to happily bark at others and dig scruffy holes in the lawn and we would walk her once a week during a pretty sunset. But those walks became daily, and a source of sanity- I was struggling with working in a completely different timezone to the UK, doing finals, and the 3pm dog walks got my mind off things. Spring turned into Summer, and the chill left, and the sun warmed our cheeks. Lucy always walked with her swishy tail held high casting long shadows on the pavement.
I like to think Lucy had the best months we could have given her. She had daily walks and my family was always home to pet her and sneak her people-food. We lost Lucy that summer, and lost our new routine.
This December, I was still healing from Lucy and wasn’t sure I was ready for another dog yet. I returned home, and was nervous to meet the puppy my family picked while I was away. When I walked in the door, groggy and struggling with my bags, this tiny yellow lady circled my feet, so excited to meet someone new. It was pure joy and the next morning I sat criss-cross on the carpet and she curled up right in my lap.
Bonding with Aspen was easy and I think we absolutely understood what the other was thinking. She became my best friend, and as soon as I woke she would full body wiggle over to me and flip over for belly rubs, and then curl up next to me while I ate breakfast and had classes. She would sometimes jostle my laptop, but afterwards I’d take her for a long walk. We’d nap in the afternoons, her whiskers tickling my face and my arms as her blanket. We played with her abundance of toys, and went for car rides, and raced, made snow angels and later splashed in puddles.
I trained Aspen between classes and after dinner, and she grew to almost full size. I was insistent on often brushing her teeth and coat and trimming her nails. We had lots of pup-cups from coffee drive thrus and she proudly learned every command I taught her. Saying goodbye to her at the airport was extremely difficult and I hope she doesn’t miss me too much. Working in a far different timezone and being alienated from friends could have been depressive, and she made it one of the best times of my life. I miss my little lady so much, and cannot wait to spend the summer with her. I feel so lucky that Aspen and Lucy chose to love me and helped me get through lockdown- only begging for treats in return.
