For the first half of my life, I was terrified of all animals, but especially dogs. I couldn’t go to my friends’ houses if they had pets and every day was filled with fear. I didn’t have a traumatic experience with animals, there was just something about them that made me feel extremely uneasy.

My cousins had a Golden Retriever that they would keep upstairs when we were visiting (which now makes me feel SUPER guilty). The dogs would be locked in a bedroom and I would lock myself in a separate bedroom and press my whole body weight against the door.

That is just one of many examples of how frightened I was. My parents tried everything from taking me to watch puppy training classes to having me pet the calmest of animals and nothing worked. Until one day, I decided to face my biggest fear.

My Aunt got a Bichon Frise and I hesitantly fell in love. Since me and my sister, both have asthma and bad allergies, getting a dog was out of the question for us. However, Bichons are hypo-allergic which means that they have hair, not fur.

This means that they were safe for me and my sister and we would be able to get one. At this point, my parents were so relieved that I was eager to get over my fear, that getting a dog was an easy answer.

We drove two hours to pick up Sprinkles and it was so exciting. For some reason, it didn’t take much for me to get over my fear. She was the sweetest dog in her litter and I was so excited to have her become a part of our family.

Ten years later, my dog is one of the best parts of my life. We actually got another dog, Chase, who is the same breed. The two dogs are so different, but they are best friends. They are always together whether they are playing or cuddling.

Now, when I tell people that I was once terrified of dogs, they don’t believe me. If you come to my house for five minutes, you will see me smothering my dogs with hugs and kisses without any hesitation.

They have brought me comfort and love through every good and bad day. Their pure joy and innocence never fail to make me smile.

I still wouldn’t consider myself an “animal person” by any means. I am still rather hesitant about the majority of other animals, including other dogs. However, my dogs mean everything to me. No matter what is happening in the world, their tails are still moving as fast as the wind. They’ve licked my tears away and made me smile more times than I could count.

Looking back ten years ago, I can’t believe that I wouldn’t be in the same room as a dog. I’m so thankful for the opportunity to have my dogs help me get over my fear. I can now go out in public without the fear of possibly seeing a dog. I can see other dogs and pet them without having a panic attack.

But more importantly, I am so extremely thankful for the happiness my dogs have brought into my life. I’m not sure what my family would do without the comfort and love of my dogs. Deciding to get my dogs was one of the best decisions that my family has ever made and I am so glad that we got the two best dogs to have in our home.