Through Thick and Thin (Anthony Rizzo)

The Perfect Dog

Jazmyn

For the longest time I was against getting a service dog. Don't get me wrong, I want a dog. More than anything I wanted a little ball of fur to put my love into. I wanted a million dogs really. But I felt like if I got a service dog I was admitting defeat. I was accepting help from a animal I could never truly be able to thank properly. I didn't want to use this poor animal as a crutch and it just feel used. I know animals don't have complex feelings as we do, but they know when the love we show them is sincere or not. And I didn't want to use this animal and it not know that it's so much more than a crutch for me.

But after my mom wore me down and Anthony got in on it, somehow, I decided to give it a good look. At least dive into service dogs and maybe giving a sweet little dog a home with Anthony and I.

So we go to a dog pound and look around trying to get an idea as to what to look for. You won't find service dogs there, you find normal dogs who will then be trained to be a service dog. So you want one who is still pretty young but isn't too young that it can't focus yet.

I've done a lot of research about which dogs are the best service dogs. It's a lot of golden retriever and German Shepard's, but I wasn't set on any one dog. Like people it's not about our genetics that's so important but the personality and the will to help that we need to look at here. So I didn't want any dog, I was hoping to find my dog.

"Yeah, there's no way you're choosing just one" Anthony accuses and I smile.

"They're all so cute. I don't want to leave them here" I say kneeling down next to a cage with a older dog huddled in the corner. I could feel how scared she was. Trust me, that's not a feeling that's easy to forget.

"Some people can't handle having a dog" he reminds me.

"And that's the dogs fault" I ask him.

He just shakes his head as his lips pull tighter. "Leave it to you to fight for the dog" he accuses.

"Hey! Taking advantage of something the gets put down for defending itself is the lowest of lows. I have zero sympathy for anyone who could hurt a precious baby like this" I insist.

The elderly dog makes it over to me and I start to pet it. Anthony comes over and pets her too. "She's so sweet" I coo.

"She is. Too bad she's too old for a service dog" he sighs.

"She might be too old for a service dog but she's too young to die in here" I insist.

"Baby the apartment only allows service animals" he reminds me.

"I know I know. But maybe her home isn't with us, but it's still out there" I sigh.

"I can ask around, see if someone can give her a home for the rest of her days. Until then we still gotta see if we can find you a service dog" he insists.

"Okay" I sigh.

I reluctantly leave the sweet little pittie behind and continue to look.

At the end of all the other kennels was a little black lab all by himself just sitting there by the gate. There was others a bit older running around but he sat there wagging his tail waiting to be played with. I smile really big as I point it out. "Why is he the only black one in there, and why is he the only puppy" I wonder.

"Black dogs often don't get picked. Same with most animals really" the worker explains.

"Why is that" I wonder.

"I'm not really sure" the man sighs. "There's nothing wrong with them. And honestly I prefer black dogs because I wear dark clothing a lot and their hair doesn't show as bad. But that's just something that's always been" he shrugs.

"How old is the little black one" I question.

"He's a few months old. He would be a good age to start training real soon. He was brought in with a litter but he's the last one left at his age" he explains.

"Can I see him" I question.

"Of course" he smiles.

He opens the cage and I go in and pick up the puppy. He doesn't bark or cry or anything, he immediately starts to lick my face.

"What's his name" Anthony wonders as he starts to let him.

"He doesn't have one yet. At that age we wait until he's 2 months to get a name to start training him. He's just barley two months so it's about time" he says.

"I wanna name him" I cheer.

"You sure you want this dog? Because you said it yourself you can't just bring him back if everything doesn't work out" Anthony insists.

"I do. He's perfect" I smile.

"Well they don't usually start service dog training until about 6 months and he's a little less than 3. It might be a while before he can be trained" the worker explains.

"That's okay" Anthony tries. "I'll talk to the apartment and explain that we're getting a service dog but need to wait for him to have his training" he says.

"Once the application is processed and he finishes his check up then he's all yours. Whatever you decide to name him" the man smiles as he turns to me.

I hold the dog up and look in his big brown eyes. I smile big as I think up the perfect name.

"Bartholomew" I announce as the worker starts to laugh.

"Why" he asks.

"She's on a the flash phase right now. She's been gone for a while so she's been binging shows. But im hoping we can call him Barry" Anthony insists as he turns to me.

"Barry is good" I smile.

So we sign the paperwork and send it through. If everything works out we can bring Barry home next week. And before that happens I had a certain favor to ask.

We go over to Jason's house and he happily lets us in. This wasn't the first, or last, time we showed up unannounced. So he grabs us a drink and I pitch my idea.

"How would you feel about another dog" I ask him.

"I think I got my hands full" he admits.

"This one isn't a puppy, she's old and she's so sweet. She just needs a nice home to love the rest of her life in. Hov and Chi would love her and she would help take care of them. She was breaded for dogs but thrown away when she didn't reproduce anymore. She just wants love" I insist.

He lets out a sigh as he shakes his head. "I really can't say no now, can I" he asks and I smile.

"Nope" I admit.