If you touch my dog, you touch me.

Born and raised with dogs, I’ve never spent a day without them. My childhood was filled with the presence of dogs, cats, and horses. While people often didn’t understand me, animals always found a way to reach me. They spoke the language of unconditional love, something I rarely found in people.

When I lived with D., it took only three weeks before Bacaro brightened up our little house. But D. had his rules: dogs were not allowed inside. Against my will, Bacaro had to stay in the garage and in an outdoor kennel. That’s when I learned that relationships required compromise. It took three long years before I finally brought him inside, where he found his spot at my feet by the sofa.

After D., I made a decision: no man would ever again decide what I did with my dogs. I moved back in with my parents and threw myself into my passion. Alongside my job as a police officer, I opened my own grooming salon, dog daycare, and a kennel for Border Collies. Dogs weren’t just my work, they were my family.

💛 “Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole.” – Roger Caras

When Orisha was born, I knew right away: we were two peas in a pod. Some connections with animals run deeper than words, and with Orisha, it felt like our souls had known each other for centuries.

When I moved to Laarne with 🥥 in 2021, it became harder. Finding a rental house with dogs proved to be a challenge, and we were only given the house on the condition that the dogs stayed outside. Though 🥥 had lived with me for years, surrounded by dogs, he seized this chance to push them even further out of my life. What started as a piece of garden quickly shrank to a small corner, hidden behind their kennel. Orisha kept an eye on me from behind the fence, her eyes pleading for closeness. My heart broke a little more every day.

Every morning, I rushed outside to cuddle with her and Djuna, and Orisha greeted me with her loving melodies. In the summer, I spent every possible second with them, but I knew it wasn’t enough. When I suggested expanding their little patch of grass by a meter, 🥥 exploded. It was an endless battle: I was too accommodating, not a real alpha, I didn’t respect him. The manipulation and accusations took their toll. Eventually, I gave in, tears in my eyes as I moved the fence back to its original position.

But something inside me had broken.

💔 “The more I learn about people, the more I like my dog.” – Mark Twain

My dogs had always been by my side. They had never disappointed me. Even after nights filled with sadness and abuse, they brought a smile to my face. Still, I had allowed someone to limit them, just as he had limited me. But that wouldn’t last.

In 2024, I stood firm: Orisha and Djuna got the entire garden back. From that day on, Orisha slept by the back door. No moment was wasted – she was always by my side. 🥥’s sneaky comments disappeared into nothing. There were already enough pieces of my heart broken.

When 🥥 left for abroad in September 2024, house-hunting, it was over. From that day on, Orisha and Djuna came inside. No one would ever put them outside again. No one would ever separate me from my dogs again.

Today, I cherish every moment with her. Orisha is not just a dog. She is my home. My strength. My healing.

🐾 “When I needed a hand, I found your paw.”