When Malcolm brought up the idea of rescuing a dog from the Humane Society, my initial reaction was not a positive one. I immediately thought I can’t possibly do that because of my illness. Then I caught myself and realized that the only person stopping me is myself. My default setting is I cannot possibly be well enough to do this. How many activities or opportunities have I turned down because I automatically assume I won’t enjoy them because of the side effects of chemo? Is this an alienating illness or is it just me shutting everything down because of my diagnosis? I feared that was exactly what was happening.

Sometimes, on days when I feel particularly strong and brave, I say yes. I make plans. I do the damn thing. But those days are sporadic at best.

So when Malcolm brought it up again for a second time, I said yes. On a rare day when I had a lot of energy, we drove to the Humane Society and promised ourselves that if we didn’t connect with a dog that we wouldn’t rush the process. When we got there and saw the cutest Rottweiler mix puppy, we couldn’t say no, obvs.

Not only has Rosie, our puppy, given me something to focus on externally instead of internally, she inspires me to move a lot throughout the day. She’s lifted both of our spirits so much that caring for her does not feel arduous. Instead of a stress induced, she is a stress reliever. It helps that she’s probably the easiest puppy we’ve ever met. She caught on to potty training in the first 24 hours we brought her home.

Below is a video I took in the first few moments she was in our backyard. Don’t you just want to embarrassingly baby talk her in public?