In the spring of 2014, my girlfriend (now fiancée) Megan spontaneously decided to get a dog. This girl doesn't do almost anything spontaneously, so when the girl I always assumed was more of a cat person decided to go to the animal shelter in Athens, Ohio, and pick up a dog, I was kinda surprised. She came home with this weird, sniffly, brindled little mutt, and I wasn't sure what to think.

His foster owner had named him Eduardo - and we found out that his shelter papers listed him as Edgar - but we just decided to go with Eddie. He was an anxious little fella. He panicked on car rides (and still does), was afraid of big men, and was terrified of people's feet. Wherever he originally came from, poor little Eddie had without a doubt been abused. Megan texted me on Eddie's first night home and said, "God dammit, dog," because, even though it was a stifling ninety degrees with no air conditioning, the scared little guy wanted to do nothing but cuddle. I was worried things may not work out with this little rescue mutt. But, boy, was I wrong - Eddie has become a huge part of both Megan's life and mine, and I would never want it to be any other way. This little weirdo has changed my life.

We've come a long way with the Edders since Megan first rescued him. Sometimes I think about what his life was like before we found him. You often see pictures of dogs in shelters, all huddled up in the corner, shivering and terrified. Many of them are battered and bruised and don't know who to trust anymore. They have no idea what tomorrow may bring. Knowing that, it makes me so much happier that we brought Eddie into our life. Whatever his story may have been when he was a puppy, it's a thousand times happier now.

He used to panic around kids, but he plays so well with them now. He and my little brother Quinn get along like best buds. Granted, when kids get a little too rowdy, he lets out a little grumble and tries to get them to settle down. He's an old man at heart.

He still hates car rides, but he gets better with every trip. If anything now, it just seems like he's anxious to get out of the car and get wherever we're going already!

New places don't scare him anymore - now they're a source for adventure and fun. Little Edder-bug is definitely an explorer, and its often tough to keep him from running ahead and getting caught in places he might need a little help to get out of.

His favorite thing is to go for ice cream after adventures! The occasional brain freeze doesn't deter him from wolfing it all down.

God, does he love to sleep. Of course, he naps all day, then has so much energy before our bedtime and wonders why we're not as excited as him to go play ball.

He is perpetually mesmerized by fireplaces. Seriously, in the wintertime, we can't break him away from it!

If you get up for anything at all, he will take your seat and have positively no remorse. You're going to have a tough time getting that seat back.

He loves dressing up for Halloween - he was breaking hearts left and right as a horse this past Halloween.

Because every now and then we both enjoy being a lazy lump, he loves chilling with me and playing video games.

Speaking of being lazy, Eddie is SUCH A PAIN to get up early in the morning.

This quirky little creature is going to be five years old this year, and I wonder the sorts of things he's been thinking all these five years. I wonder what he feels about how he made it out of his abusive first home. I wonder if, at last, he feels truly happy. I truly believe he does, because now, he's part of a family. Having him as our little fur-ball has made me and Megan closer than we ever could have imagined. Our families always look forward to the holidays when we come to visit and bring him along. Megan and I are still setting up our lives and finding our way - I'll be moving in with her and the Edd-man in Maryland once I graduate in May. But Eddie is the thing that helps stabilize our changing lives. No matter where we go, we're gonna have this little dork to make the place home. Plus, I like to think of him as our "training wheels" for when one day, many years down the road Megan and I eventually become parents.

I've truly come to care a lot about Eddie, and I love the little guy like he's truly family. That's what dogs are to us anyway, they're just that big a part of our lives. Megan has suggested that once we move in together and we get things settled, I might rescue a second little goof-ball like Edd and bring them into our home. And honestly, few things would make me happier. To give a dog a second chance and show them what a family's love is really like is one of those beautiful things that can occur between living beings. It's definitely not a one-way street though. The love goes both ways - both from the rescuer and from the rescued. It's like what a lot of folks who adopt rescue animals often say: "Who really rescued whom? We may as well have rescued each other."