Man's best friend ❤️🐶 my son, Simba

They say "A home is not a home without a dog," as cliché as that sounds, I believe it whole heartedly. I know it seems odd and people who come across my page might wonder why I have a picture of my dog instead of myself. It's honestly just because I lack confidence, even online.

Before anyone asks, no my dog is not dead. I don't even want to put that in the air (I'm talking to you universe).

This post is more of a love letter to my dog. ❤️

My dog's name is Simba and he is the best little doggy I could have ever asked for. I've had dog's before but none like him. He honestly is my best friend and I love him so much! I got Simba when he was just a year old, and he came to me from a misunderstanding. Yet, despite that I wouldn't trade him for anything in the world. My ex boyfriend gifted me Simba. For reasons that I'm still unsure of to this day, they were parting with him. I think it was because of Simba's behavior, but I'm honestly not sure. Simba is a Yorkipoo (Yorkshire Terrier/miniature poodle). He's now 2 years old and he literally came and changed everything.

My mom and I have a pretty strained relationship, unfortunately I can't turn to her like most girls probably would towards their mothers. However, I feel like Simba in an ironic or coincidental way, helped us try to work on our relationship. At first, my mother didn't want Simba. She didn't want a dog stinking up the house and I sort of understood as we hadn't had a dog since I was in elementary school. Over time though, she came to grow to love him as much as I do. Simba some how took my mother's cold heart and defrosted it. Now she loves him more than me (I'm not jealous, just saying). I love watching her play with him, or try to. My mother grew up poor and didn't have toys, so she doesn't exactly know how to play with others or anything. Yet, she tries with Simba. She likes to joke around and say that Simba is her grandson, considering how I'm 28, single, and probably never getting married or having a child of my own.

My sisters love Simba too. He likes to play with them as well, although he hated the twins at first. Simba had never been around small children before, and back when we first got him he would bark and try to bite them. Now, he defends them if someone tries to get too close to them and if he doesn't know the person. If one of them goes to sit on our couch, he'll come and lay his head on their lap. It's the cutest thing ever.

With me, Simba came to me right before my mental health started to get worse. He came to me before the therapy sessions, the medication, and my anxiety attacks (not related to him, but to a job I had at the time). I remember when I first got him he was so scared of me and everything, but he soon warmed up to me. He's pretty much my anxiety dog with anxiety. lol. If I'm sad and crying, he'll come and place his little body in my arms and start licking me. I taught him how to play catch since he didn't understand the concept of playing with a human.

For my mother's birthday one year, we put a birthday hat on him and he just let us. He opens doors with his paw, and it makes my mother and I laugh so much. At 11pm, he goes straight to my room and lays on my bed because he knows it's time for bed. My mother says that Simba only needs to learn how to talk since he acts so human like sometimes. I agree. Although, he does talk to us in his doggy language. Over these two years, he's taught my family how to be a "family," and by doing that, he also became part of our little family.

I know they say the hardest part is when they get old and pass away, but I hope we have lots of time before that ever happens. I can't believe I'm saying it, but in a way, he saved me, and maybe I did the same for him too.

#mansbestfriend

#yorkipoo

#dogmom

#mylove