I decided to join the Austin Pets Alive! foster program somewhat selfishly in early 2017, knowing I wanted the companionship of a dog but hesitant to make a long-term commitment. Fostering, in my mind, would be a nice way to "try before you buy." One morning, I read an APA! email from a foster parent who needed a babysitter for her foster Jack Russell/Chihuahua mix while she went out of town. Fast-forward a little over two years, and here I am with that same dog. I officially adopted my “Lucky Penny” on 7/17/17.

We don’t know much about Penny's life before she was rescued by APA!, other than that she was found stray and on a list to be euthanized at a shelter in San Marcos. Penny is six years old now, but she’s often been mistaken for a senior dog, and the vet said she probably aged prematurely due to stress in her younger years. She shows it in her snow-white face and the white around her back end, not to mention her very laid-back and carefree demeanor. Unless there are squirrels within sight or she hears someone ask if she wants to go for a “walky,” chances are she isn't going to be exerting much energy.

While Penny isn't going to be anyone's running partner anytime soon, she does make for an excellent companion, and she goes just about everywhere I'm allowed to bring her with me. From hiking the Greenbelt to shopping at the many dog-friendly stores in town, she makes for the ideal copilot and wing-woman. She even came to work with me every day at my previous job! She also makes no fuss about wearing clothes in cooler weather or having her nails painted with nontoxic dog polish. She is a real fashionista!

Penny suffers from separation anxiety, and the first day I left Penny home alone, she literally ate the linoleum floor next to my front door. While we’ve made a lot of progress in the last two years (she’s no longer destructive), she still gets nervous being alone and goes crazy when I return home to her. I’m not sure we’ll ever conquer it completely, but I also suffer from generalized anxiety, and I feel like we have a mutual understanding and appreciation of one another. I may be partial, but I've noticed Penny has a higher level of emotional intuition than average and seems to read my stress well. There's nothing more comforting than simply having another being consistently and unconditionally there for you.

The "who rescued who?" question is real conundrum here. As I lie in bed typing this, Penny lies next to me. Wherever I am, she is sure to be nearby. I truly can't imagine my life without this dog in it.