I first saw Gus (then known as Otter) on the Georgetown Animal Outreach Facebook page in January of 2017. He was adorable and I knew I had to have him! I wasn’t looking for another dog at the time, I still had my 15 year old dachshund, Lexi, alive and well plus three cats to take care of. For some reason, though, I knew I had to meet this puppy. I contacted GAO and arranged to meet him the next day. It was love at first sight! He was adorable and nuzzled right up to me in Laura’s office that day. We arranged a home visit the next day. Now I had to break the news to my fiance’. I hadn’t told him I was even looking for a dog, much less a puppy! The next day came around and Gus was brought to our house. While it wasn’t exactly love at first sight for my fiance’, he reluctantly agreed to let him stay while the paperwork and foster-to-adopt agreement went through. I was smitten by his soft fur and big, brown eyes. He immediately had a home.
Six weeks later, I would be given the news nobody wanted to hear. My mother, who had been fighting ovarian cancer for the past ten years had made the decision to forgo any further treatment as the cancer had spread. I was devastated. My mother had always been my rock, and now I had to face the news that she was dying. I took a leave of absence to take care of her, but it took me away from home and my Gus. Anytime I did come home briefly, I would sit on the floor with him and his puppy-ways would stop long enough for him to lay his head on my knee and just let me pet him. I found solace in him during a time that was incredibly difficult. Six weeks later, my mother was gone. It was the hardest time in my life as i went through the motions of taking care of loose ends as well as her funeral. I didn’t see Gus for almost two weeks during this time. When it was finally time to go home, I walked in the door and just fell to the floor, my emotions quickly taking over. Gus quietly came over and just laid his head on my lap, letting me pet and hug him until the tears quit falling.
Ever since that time, he has been my faithful companion. He is never more than a few feet away, knows when I’m feeling down or not well, laying his head in my lap to comfort me. My fiance quickly grew to love him during this time, having never had dogs of his own. He saw the devotion and love from this dog like no other person ever had. Gus saved me and my life will forever be devoted to taking care of him and being his person.
