Heart Like a Dog

The Good, the Bad, and the Oh My God of living with dogs!

Our Story – Happy Birthday Delilah

By

I sometimes wish I’d known you when you were a puppy. I know I could have provided the love and security that every dog deserves from the beginning.

But that isn’t our story. Our story is a far different one.

Our story began when I agreed to adopt a 2 to 3 year-old Chocolate Lab named Ginny, sight unseen. Our story also almost ended on that day. In fact, for some people, it would have ended. But when you finally gave in to your exhaustion, and fell asleep with your head on my knee, I knew our story would be great.

Chocolate Lab

She trusts me enough to sleep.

I just didn’t know HOW GREAT.

Our story is one full of challenges and learning experiences, patience and frustration, failure and success, sadness and joy, mistakes and forgiveness.

Our story is about two strong-willed individuals who learned to trust each other and eventually to work together as a team. Our story is a complicated, but beautiful story. It is a story about heartache and hope, faith and kindness.

Our story is all of these things and more, our story is a story of great love.

Today is the day we chose to celebrate your birthday. It is a day of happiness and joy, a time of reflection, of thinking back to where we were and where we are now. It is a day to celebrate the amazingness that is you.

Because you really are amazing. You’re smart and stubborn, sassy and fun, focused and determined. And loving, oh so loving.

You’ve grown into an amazing dog. A good dog. Anyone who knew you in the beginning, knows exactly what that means, and how far you’ve come.

So today, on a day we choose to celebrate the wonder of you, I want to thank you. Thank you for hanging in with me and being patient in your lessons. Thank you for licking my tears when I’m sad, for jumping for joy with me when we succeed, for guiding me home when I feel lost, and for loving me when I feel unloved.

You have been one of the greatest challenges of my life, but you’ve also been one of my greatest joys.

Chocolate Lab

“Baby” Delilah

Happy 12th Birthday Delilah, I love you to infinity and beyond.

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...

Comments

comments

Comments

  1. Happy Birthday, Delilah! You are so lucky to have a wonderful home and your Mom is blessed to have you by her side! Live large today!

  3. What a lovely story and a rewarding relationship. This is why dogs have been our friends for 6000 years. Happy 12th to two lovely ladies.

  4. Happy, Happy Birthday, Delilah! What a beautiful story you have. You and your Mom were obviously meant for each other. ♥♥♥

  5. Awesome! Happy birthday, D. I hope there are treats and toys and hugs and cuddles and kisses, and if you were me – a new dress. Enjoy your special day, meant for a special girl! xoxo

    Love and licks,
    Cupcake and Mom

  6. Happy birthday D! Auntie loves you and I DO know how far you’ve come! 💜💜💜💜💜 I’m so proud of you and your mommy! She had the patience and guts to take you on, when most people would have thrown in the towel!!! I love you both! 💝

  8. Happy Happy Birthday Delilah!! Oh how I loved this beautifully written post! I often think it is the dogs who give us the hardest time (Dakota was quite difficult for me when we first got him, in a number of different ways) that grow to be our “heart” dogs. Dakota is my “heart” dog and I know that Delilah is yours too!

  9. Beautiful! What a journey you and she have had. I’m sure your feel lucky to have Delilah in your life, but I know she is so blessed that you chose to become her human. Happy birthday, Delilah!

  13. earning a animals trust is such a wonderful gift. that moment when she laid her head on your leg to sleep was the beginning of a remarkable journey. you and your family have given her years of love and joy.
    thanks for sharing Samson and Delilah with us.
    many birthday hugs sweet Delilah.

  14. Oh. My. Dog!!! What a wonderful birthday tribute to your Divine Miss D!

    Sorry I missed your birthday Delilah, but I spent an hour at the vet’s office with Shadow on Thursday morning. She was the only living being on my mind most of the day. I know your Mama made sure you had a great birthday. My ❤️ to both of you!