When I was smaller than small, I was obsessed with horses. I begged my parents for one. Just one. One day my dad and I went on a road trip to a gun show, and on our way to our destination my dad mentioned a surprise. I was so excited because I was absolutely sure that my greatest wish was about to come true.

I was about 8 or 9 at the time and I was having the time of my life. Singing in the backseat until my lungs hurt, pointing at everything we passed, waving at people through the window, and basically annoying my dad to death until we got to our destination. But my heart seemed to be belting out a certain word. Horse. Horse. Horse. Horse. Over and over and over again. But by then, my stomach was screaming for food. Luckily my cousins were coming. My cousins Rocky (I call him my Uncle) makes the best summer sausage and jerky in the world. His wife Janet and my cousins Zach and Liz, are the best people in the universe. They own a farm and have so many animals it’s amazing.

We were in our car waiting for them because Dad said that they were the ones bringing the surprise. Like every little kid in the universe that hears someone say someone else has a surprise, I was begging my Dad to tell me what the surprise was, Endlessly, until Uncle Rocky, Janet and Zach and Liz got there. I had put on my huge pink winter jacket and was bouncing in my seat. When Uncle Rocky pulled into the parking lot, I squealed with happiness. Dad let me out of the car and I raced across the space between our trucks to my cousins to give them hugs. I was focused on them until I remembered the surprise.

Sadly there was no horse trailer attached to the back of Uncle Rocky’s trucks. But I knew that since it was a surprise it had to be good. Recently my Uncle David’s dog had recently had a litter of puppies. He gave two to Uncle Rocky, one for him . . . and one for me. Inside Uncle Rocky’s car was my very first dog. Sissy is a Blue and Red Heeler mixed with Blue Merle and White Australian Shepherd. She has one marbled eye. Sissy is the most loyal and protective dog out there. On that day I met my new best friend.