Words by Taylor Meek. The year was I had recently gotten married to my high school sweetheart and was preparing for one of the most defining moments of my life — moving 2, miles away from home for the first time.
My husband was in the military, which meant in order to see him, my choices were either daily video chats from my hometown in Ohio or to move all the way to El Paso, Texas, leaving everything I knew behind. I chose the latter. I did not know what the future held for us, but I was excited…and anxious. My husband worked long days on Ft.
Bliss and I did not know a single soul in our community. I was lonely and did not know what to do with my time. After a few days of getting settled in after the move, I enrolled in an online Bachelors program and looked for jobs, but there will still a massive void in my life. Back home, I was raised around dogs. We had four at one time when I was young. I left behind my family dogs with this move and missed them terribly, especially my boy Lou — the Jack Russell.
There is something about coming home to a wagging tail that just makes life better. My husband is allergic to most animals, so I thought my days as a dog mom were over. This realization hit me hard. Unbeknownst to me, my best friend was waiting in the small dog section at the Humane Society of El Paso. When we approached his kennel, Lance lazily got out of his bed, licked our fingers, and waltzed right back to his bed once we walked away.
No barking, no fussing. After a long day at the shelter, we went home to reflect on the adorable pups we had just met. He seems like a good boy. Before we knew it, we were on our way to the shelter the next day to inquire about him. When we left the shelter, Lance was excited until he reached our car. He did not want to get in.
