From the beginning of my relationship with Steve, he made it very clear that he loved dogs. He had always had them growing up and couldn’t imagine not having one of his own as an adult. He was very adamant that it wouldn’t be a small dog either. He wanted a pup on the “bigger” side.

I, on the other hand, grew up a cat person. I was raising a cranky kitty, Princess Fiona, when we first starting dating and knew there was absolutely no way a dog would fit into our life once we got engaged. Fiona barely liked people, and we were about to be sharing a nine hundred square foot house. Not happening. Not with a dog on the “bigger” side anyway.

We spent seven glorious years in our tiny house. It is where we began our married life, brought two of our babies home, and shared countless memories. After having Ella though, we knew it was time to move. There just was not enough room for two growing kids and us. It was becoming clear that we weren’t those people who could make it work in nine hundred square feet without killing each other. I give people who can tons of credit. We knew it was time for us to move on.

We moved to the big house when CJ was three and Ella, one. We loved everything about it. It was spacious, it was updated, it had a basement, the yard had a swing set, we didn’t have to share a bathroom, there was privacy within the house if we wanted it, we had tons of neighbors, and the best part, we could fit a dog in it without completely disturbing the cat. While I agreed that a dog was definitely doable, I wasn’t ready just yet.

Three months later I woke up ready, and from that moment on things moved quickly. We filled out an application at a rescue, and early one morning found ourselves on our way to an event to look for a pup. They suggested we get their early because there would be a lot of people looking at the puppies. Despite our early arrival, we were still almost one hundred on the list.

We sat and waited outside for what felt like an eternity, knowing we likely weren’t going to even see the puppies based on our list number. I will never forget, I was sitting down on the sidewalk next to Ella in her stroller, and a woman was walking around with a dog. We heard her say that dogs twelve weeks or older are not kept with the puppies, but rather walked around by the families who fostered them. When she walked past us and right next to Ella, this pup laid right down. He didn’t get up when we went over to pet him or when CJ started running in circles around next him. People came up to see him and he just laid there. Right next to Ella.

Caring nothing about this dogs breed or the size he would get, I told Steve I wanted him. He was the one. He came and sat near my special needs babe, protecting her from the crowd. I needed this dog in my life. He won my heart. We were asked to spend some additional alone time with him to make sure we clicked, they asked us some questions, and away we went. Gibbs, we had named him before we even got there, was ours.

Let’s keep in mind I never had a dog before, so the first few weeks were an adjustment. At first he didn’t bark at all, and I was loving him even more than I first had. That quickly changed and as to be expected, puppy behaviors kicked in. He was still so amazing with the kids though. I had no regrets.

Gibbs isn’t perfect but he sure is lovable, and has a special relationship with each member of the family. He loves to run around with CJ and is super playful. He is notorious for stealing food off of his plate and without a doubt they fight the most. Jack loves to torture him and Gibbs puts up with every second of it. He loves to lick Jack’s face and in turn Jack steals his toys and pulls his tail. Steve and Gibbs are also very playful with each other and they used spent hours of quiet time together sleeping when the kiddos had school. My love for Gibbs is strong, but we don’t have a love we like to flaunt. Our quality time comes after everyone is asleep and I get to relax downstairs. He’s my best bud.

Ella though. Ella is his favorite. When anyone gets near her for therapy, he barks or gets really close to make sure that she isn’t getting hurt. When Ella has meltdowns, Gibbs goes and sits right next to her. Sometimes she will smack him and pull on his ears in frustration. He takes it all and doesn’t leave her side. When someone leaves the room with Ella, he walks to the gate to see her off. He knows Ella needs that extra protection and he is happy to give it. Gibbs has been a blessing to us all, but most especially his Ella!

Four years later there are times I want to return to the days of quiet and peace that came before Gibbs. Then I watch him play with CJ, or sit next to Ella so she can pet him, and I know that he is right where he belongs.