when my family first decided to get a dog, i was terrified. i, only a child had never seen a dog up close and in person. the idea of living with them scared me.

until i met scottie. despite his name, scottie is not a scottish terrier. in fact, we have never been sure what kind of dog he is. he is about the size of the average labrador retriever, but his colors are very different. his body is white, and he both has black and tan stripes, and he has blue eyes: a combination that the dog shelter called “blue merle,” but that actually looks like he got into a box of paints by accident. [ ]

i already knew which of us would bond with our familys’ new dog first. having always loved dogs, he sat on my sister’s lap during the car ride home from the shelter. between my sister and myself, i was sure that scottie was going to like her the best. unlike me, she was excited about getting a dog, she spoiled him with treats during the entire car ride home. it wasn’t until scottie jumped on my bed that evening to go to sleep that i realized how happy i was that we have a dog.

scottie is almost ten years old now, but he still acts as young as ever. as a child, i was initially told that walking him once a day would be my responsibility. [ ] now, though, together, a jog is taken before i go to school, and i take him for a little walk around the block before dinner. he’s so fast that passersby sometimes call out, “are you walking him, or is he walking you?” everybody always loves scottie. he’s not a good watchdog; instead, he always wags his tail when strangers come over to the house. [ ]

getting scottie was one of the best decisions my family ever made. the truth of the thing is that he’s brought so much happiness to our lives that it’s hard to remember i was ever scared of him. it seems silly and ridiculous to think about that time now.