Sometimes the Dog Finds You
"Love that dog, like a bird loves to fly, I said. Love that dog, like a bird loves to fly." — Love That Dog, Sharon Creech
1. Introduction – When Life Hands You a Risk in Fur Form
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| Photo Credit: Boojie Bear Studios |
This past summer, the boys and I snuck off to surprise my sister for her graduation. Al stayed back in Puerto Rico, holding down the fort—his days a mix of side hustles, refereeing, and evenings that were just too quiet.
And then one ordinary dog walk turned into anything but. One of the dogs he was walking froze beside a parked car and wouldn’t budge. Al leaned down to see what had spooked him and there it was—a tiny puppy, curled into himself like he was trying to disappear.
When Al peered under the car to see what caught the dog's attention, a little puppy ran cautiously toward him. Carefully Al took him home and gave him a little love, a little food, and a little water. By the time my phone buzzed that night, the message was short and to the point:
“Emergency. Call me when the boys aren’t around.”
On Pets & Compromises
Before I tell you my answer, you need to know something.Here’s what you need to know: I never wanted pets. Not the responsibility, not the mess, not the commitment.
Then I met Al. And Al loves dogs the way some people love coffee—deeply, completely, like he couldn’t imagine life without them. Loving him meant knowing that someday, somehow, a dog would wiggle its way into our family.
We tried three different times to make it happen—and each time, the door shut. Quietly, with sad resignation, we agreed: maybe now just isn’t the time.
Until the phone call. Until the picture of a puppy asleep in Al’s arms. Five pounds of fur and eyes that said: please, don’t make me start over again. How could I possibly say no?
Risks You Don’t Plan For
Life has a way of sneaking up on you.- Sometimes you leap across a stream and land right in the water.
- Sometimes you take the dream job only to have it vanish.
- And sometimes—your husband finds a stray puppy under a car.
In fact, psychologists note that taking risks—whether moving across the world or saying yes to a puppy—can strengthen resilience and help us grow into more adaptive, confident people (Bonanno, 2004). Sometimes, the best ones aren’t always planned—they’re simply recognized as worth taking.
You don’t always see them coming—you just know, deep down, this one’s worth it.
2. Lost Twice, Found Twice
The vet confirmed he was healthy, and Al learned that a neighbor had rescued him off the street hoping to foster him but lost track of him. Poor little guy—lost twice, but somehow always found.It felt like serendipity. This puppy didn’t just need a home—Al needed him, too. And if I’m honest, so did we.
After a year of job loss and tight budgets, the puppy was more than a distraction—he was hope in fur form.
Studies consistently show that pets can lower stress and increase feelings of connection in families (McConnell et al., 2011). Saying yes to a puppy didn’t erase those challenges, but it did offer something else: hope, laughter, and a reminder that the best adventures often start in unexpected places.
3. Two and a Half Weeks of Bonding (and Chaos)
Al and the puppy were inseparable from the start. Bedtime snuggles, early walks, vet visits, even Uber rides—the two of them were a pair. If Al had to go, the puppy went too.In just two weeks, Al had house-trained him, kept up with shots, and learned just how much joy (and exhaustion) one five-pound creature could bring. The house still felt too quiet without us, but it wasn’t empty anymore.
Meanwhile, I sat in another state, watching it all unfold over FaceTime. I worried (of course I did—just like my mom), but I also couldn’t stop smiling. These are the moments I call “net good”—the ones where stress and joy duke it out, but joy manages to win.
4. A Family of Four Becomes Five
We finally told the boys over FaceTime. One didn’t believe us, and the other immediately announced, “Let’s go home!”By the time they met Bendito Chase in person, he wasn’t the tiny puppy Al had first found—he’d already grown. But the boys didn’t care. They giggled through the nips, chased him around the house, and proudly corrected anyone who dared drop his middle name: It’s Bendito Chase.
Of course, once Al left for referee camp, the re-potty training was on me. It was messy. It was exhausting. And yes, there was so. much. poop. But somewhere between the accidents and the chaos, Bendito stopped being “the puppy” and simply became one of us.
5. Conclusion – The Best Kind of Risk
"Love that dog, like a bird loves to fly, I said. Love that dog, like a bird loves to fly." — Love That Dog, Sharon Creech.
Our little yellow pup has already stitched himself into the fabric of this family. Watching E whisper, “I love you, Bendito Chase,” or H beam, “Mom, he actually listened to me!”—those are the moments that tell me: this was the right yes.
Not every risk turns out like this. Some leave you bruised, disappointed, maybe even a little heartbroken. But sometimes, the scary yes is the one that changes everything.
Those are the ones that often leave us braver, kinder, and more whole. Bendito Chase is more than just our new dog—he’s a reminder of the beauty of saying yes, even when it feels scary.
Now I’ve got four boys to raise—two human, one husband, and one with paws—and every day they remind me: love, like risk, is always worth the mess and sometimes the scariest yeses are the ones that make us whole.
SOURCES:
Bonanno, G. A. (2004). Loss, trauma, and human resilience: Have we underestimated the human capacity to thrive after extremely aversive events? American Psychologist, 59(1), 20–28. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.59.1.20Creech, S. (2001). Love that dog. HarperCollins.McConnell, A. R., Brown, C. M., Shoda, T. M., Stayton, L. E., & Martin, C. E. (2011). Friends with benefits: On the positive consequences of pet ownership. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 101(6), 1239–1252. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0024506
