What adopting a dog has taught me about love

I knew before adopting my dog that love took work. But I had no idea how much work came before that real, deep kind of love.

I adopted my boy last summer, a little over a year ago. I thought I loved him right away. And in a way I did. But raising him got hard. He's a leash reactive puppy, so socializing him has been hard. I also needed to care for him while making some big changes in my life, which proved even more stressful. The biggest challenges have been caring for him after he was fixed (the rescue group couldn't afford to do that) and, recently, helping him recover from his heartworm treatments.

Truth be told, I spent many days and nights wanting to give up. I felt like I couldn't live my life anymore. But I couldn't give up on my dog. He was a rescue, and I couldn't live with breaking his heart. So I kept going. And some time ago, maybe a month ago, I realized I now loved him for real. Each day has been easier, and I no longer think about what life would be like without him.

My point, I guess, is that love doesn't happen without work. Infatuation can get you far, but love takes effort. It means staying when things get tough, and meeting the person/animal you want to love where they're at. And that love is a choice you make every day. It doesn't happen unless you make that choice every day. And it can be hard, especially when your puppy is hyper and you just want to sit down. But then you remember how they snuggle with you at night, and how happy they are when you come home, and it feels worth it.

But I also realized something else. Plenty of dogs go without love. They rot in shelters until they're too old and sick for most people to care for them. Or they get taken in and turned out by someone who can't handle them. And that happens to people, too. Some people just can't find someone to love them, much like some dogs can't get adopted. It might not be because they're violent or old or whatever. Maybe no one can understand their damage. Maybe they're ill. Maybe they're just not cute. The why doesn't matter.

I think I'm one of those strays. So all I can do is be good to my dog, and hope that, someday, someone is good to me.