I had no idea that getting a rescue dog would put my family’s values and ties to the test. In fact, that’s exactly what happened when we brought Daisy home. She was a sloppy dog who won our hearts.
Andy, my son, had begged for months to have a dog. Kelly finally agreed, but there were some rules: the dog had to be small and act well. We had no idea that Daisy would do something unexpected.
Andy fell in love with Daisy’s big brown eyes and frizzy hair at the shelter. Kelly wasn’t sure, but Andy’s excitement made us decide to go with him.
When Daisy cried the first night, it kept us up. When Kelly got up to give her a treat, she stopped whining, which surprised us. But when I woke up at 3 a.m., Daisy wasn’t there and Andy was gone. The window was open.
I became scared as I searched the house and called Andy’s name. Kelly woke up when I shook her, and we searched quickly, calling the cops and neighbours. Then, a neighbor’s call from Mrs. Carver sent us to the woods.
Andy was cold and lying under a tree with Daisy next to him. As I pulled him close, I felt relieved. I said in a whisper, “You scared us half to death.”
Back at home, Kelly’s guilty face showed the shocking truth: she had let Daisy go so Andy would forget about her. I was angry, hurt, and shocked.
“How could you put him in danger because of a little mess?” I asked.
Kelly cried when she realised what she had done wrong. “I didn’t think he’d follow her,” she sobbed.
As I watched Andy cuddle with Daisy, I realised that the bad times and messed up relationships are sometimes what keep us together.
Kate, I told Daisy to stay. “She is now a member of this family. That’s something you need to accept.”
Kelly agreed, but tears were running down her face.
That’s when I realised that family isn’t about being perfect; it’s about enjoying the messy, flawed times that make us whole.
I knew that our family would never be the same after seeing Andy and Daisy cuddled up together. That was a good thing. We were truly a family because of the messy, flawed love we had for each other.
