Loyalty On Four Legs

Dogs can be very loyal to their owners and this story is no exception.

Two months after a young couple got married, a mixed breed puppy came to the porch of their apartment. The husband wasn’t too crazy about having a pet in the house, while the wife had grown up with pets in the home and was all for having an indoor “furbaby” of their own.

She didn’t get her way, but the puppy earned the name “Pup” for the time being and slept on their porch each night.

About a week later, Pup disappeared for the day. When the husband came home from work and Pup didn’t follow him to the front door, he kept calling for Pup, but Pup didn’t come.

It was about midnight that night when Pup came back. That’s when the husband opened the front door of the apartment and said, “If you want to live with us, you can come in.” The three month old puppy wandered in and earned the name “Lucky” because she was lucky to be in the house.

The three of them had their first Christmas together and Lucky wreaked havoc on the Christmas tree.

The husband and Lucky would also play games like Peek-a-Boo around doorways and sometimes Lucky would run so fast in the apartment that she’d slide on the hardwood floor in the dining room, causing herself to smack against the wall.

Eventually, the couple outgrew their home when Lucky was almost two years old, so they moved to a larger one. Lucky wasn’t too crazy about the move, but she adjusted.

It was when Lucky was six years old that the couple found out they were finally going to have a baby. The small dog would curl up against the wife’s belly every night. When Lucky was seven and the baby was born, Lucky was curious. However, it’s when Lucky was eight and the baby was a year old that their relationship took a turn. The couple’s little girl chased Lucky with a plastic golf club and wacked her over the head with it. That’s when Lucky decided to keep her distance.

That same year, the family outgrew their home and had to move again. Shortly after, they learned they were expecting baby #2. Lucky dealt with a lot of changes, but Lucky loved her family. The kids, on the other hand, were just there to her. It was the couple that she adored no matter what, so she largely ignored the kids when possible.

When Lucky was 11 years old, the couple learned they were expecting a third child. Shortly after the third child was born, the family had to move again to a home that could accommodate their size. By this point, Lucky was a pro at adjusting to the growing family and the moving. In the meantime, she had become arthritic. Although the veterinarian said that her quality of life was

still good, she did have some difficulty walking and it broke the hearts of the couple. The kids wanted to play with her, but she still wasn’t interested.

And then it happened when the family bought a home and moved the last time. When the wife drove Lucky from their former home to their new home, she knew it was going to be the last time she ever moved Lucky from one home to another. Their oldest child was just starting kindergarten as well.

It was after this move that the most amazing thing occurred…

Every morning, despite Lucky’s difficulty walking, she walks with the wife and oldest child to the bus stop and uses her eyes to beg for a hug and a kiss from “her kid.” When the wife walks back to the house, Lucky follows behind.

When the wife takes her daily walk, Lucky goes with her. However, the wife has to walk at Lucky’s pace.

And now, Lucky lies down at the feet of the other children so they will pet her. The very kids that were just “there” to her have become very important in her world.

For the couple, she has always been a very loyal dog. She always snuggled when one of them was sick, was a comfort during difficult times, and has always been kind. The wife frequently reflects upon the ruined Christmas tree, the sliding into the wall from running so fast in a small space, the games of tag, and the energy Lucky brought to their home. This dog has lived with them in five homes and seen the birth of all three of their children. She is a constant in their lives and, despite being old, she continues to be the epitome of a dog’s loyalty to their family.