People have been living in harmony with dogs for a long time. A dog can be a loving companion, a protector, a friend, a loyal sidekick, and a fellow adventurer. They can ease your stress and anxiety, lick your tears when you’re sad, or share in your joy when you’re happy. They are part of the family and add another dimension to your life.

Studies have shown that living with a dog helps people live longer, happier lives. I grew up with dogs. I was still a baby when my parents adopted our first dog, Chippy—a collie/beagle mix. I was still a little girl when we got a second dog. From then on, we always had at least two dogs and one or two cats as part of our family.

When I moved across the country in 2005, I brought my cat Anabelle with me but wasn’t able to have a dog in the apartment I was renting. When I bought a house a little over a year later, I was itching to add a dog to our family. In June of 2006, fate led me to meet and adopt Ella from a shelter in Denver. I was on my way to meet with another puppy, who ended up being adopted before I arrived. I met with Ella in a special area because she had kennel cough at the time. I started jogging around the enclosure and she immediately started trotting next to me, which was perfect because I was looking for a running buddy. I brought her home that day and it was the start of over 15 transformative years together, from when I was 28 to 43 years old.

I’m sure I would still have done plenty of fun things even if Ella hadn’t been by my side, but we both know everything was better because we got to do it together. We needed each other. We were soulmates, and both of us were fortunate that the universe brought us together on that fateful day. It’s no coincidence that the puppy I was on my way to meet got adopted by someone else—he or she wasn’t meant for me. Ella was.

As much as I tried to train Ella to be a “good dog,” Ella was the one who taught me. She helped me to see what the important things in life are and to let go of the things that weren’t part of my path. I grew in the years that we were together. I made mistakes, but Ella was there to stand by my side and help me take the lesson and leave the pain.

I appreciated Ella and accepted her quirks because I knew it didn’t matter all that much if she walked calmly on a leash or never barked. Ella might not have been what people call a “good” dog, but she was a smart dog. She knew how to live and how to love and did both with enthusiasm.

Ella lived a full life. She did what she was put on this earth to do, which was to take care of me in the best way she could, the way only she could. As I look back on the changes I went through during those years with Ella, I see that she did a great job of helping me become a better person. She faced the world with me as I experienced dating mishaps, survived a heart attack at a young age, started a business, and moved to the mountains. Through it all, Ella’s zest for life, unwavering loyalty, and determination in the face of her own health challenges taught me valuable lessons about resilience, finding joy, and the profound impact a dog can have on our lives.

I took her lessons about unconditional love, authenticity, and living life to the fullest to heart. Today, I can proudly say that I am a kind, courageous, adventurous person who has dedicated my life to helping others. I found my purpose in life and am living it every day.

My wish for you is that you, too, find that special dog who was meant for you. That you can communicate with him or her and are open to learning all they have to teach you. Open your heart to a dog, and you’ll never be alone. Of course, it will hurt when your dog has to go, but it will have been worth it. I promise.

To read the 40 life lessons that I learned from Ella, get a copy of my book, Pawsitive Perspectives, here, or if you are local to Boulder, Colorado, you can pick up a signed paperback copy from the Boulder Bookstore.

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