Me and my baby Archie in 2021.
The kind of connection a human has with their pet dog is one of the most unique experiences I wish everyone could have.
My family has always had a dog in the household — all of them family dogs. Of all our dogs growing up, I had the biggest connection with Chai, our light gray Chihuahua. She lived a nice long life.
I also loved my sister’s dog, Pancake, a large, chubby Labrador Retriever.
Pancake and I had a special rapport.
When I started teaching at Overfelt, I was still living at home to save as much money as I could. My sister was also living at home at the time. On weekdays, I would usually get home first, and Pancake and I would have several hours every day to ourselves.
She usually wasn’t allowed in my room because she shed so much, and she knew that. So she would sit outside my door staring at me, waiting for the command that she could come inside.
Often, she would throw toys into my room like little projectiles in the hopes that it would get my attention and I’d let her come in and play.
One day I came home and there was an empty bucket of KFC on the floor. Pancake was walking around and I looked at her and said, “Bad girl!” because I assumed she had eaten the chicken.
As I walked into my room, I realized I had accidentally left the door open that day.
I sat down on the couch in my room to watch TV and noticed there was a piece of chicken hidden in the seat cushion. Pancake was standing at the doorway staring at me with this look of innocence and guilt on her face.
Later that evening, as I was getting ready for bed, I put my hand under my pillow and there was another piece of chicken there.
I realized Pancake had hidden pieces of chicken all throughout my room so she could come back and eat them later.
What a smart dog.
Many years later, when Jey and I bought our house during the pandemic, Athena and Kevin were going on vacation and asked if I could watch Pancake at our house.
Jey was notoriously anti-dog, but he gave me the okay, and so we had the honor of babysitting her.
By then, Pancake was much older and had cancer. She was still sweet as ever — just slower.
On the day she was supposed to be picked up, she had a big accident because she couldn’t hold her poop anymore. I cleaned everything up and Athena picked her up shortly after.
Pancake passed away the following weekend.
We were devastated, of course.
It was around that time that I finally convinced Jey to get our own dog. I had always wanted a corgi, so I found a breeder in Sacramento.
Archie was the lucky puppy to become a Floro.
Jey immediately became obsessed.
Suddenly I was demoted from his iPhone wallpaper and Archie replaced me. I don’t blame him. Archie is pretty sweet too.
He is friendly, goofy, a total scaredy-cat, and incredibly loyal.
I just know Archie and Pancake would have been BFFs.
I was doing yoga one day through Apple Fitness and during the reflection meditation at the end, the coach asked us to think about someone who loves us unconditionally.
I think most people’s minds would immediately go to a spouse, parent, or family member.
Mine immediately went to Archie.
Unless you have owned a dog, it is difficult to explain the kind of relationship people have with them.
They have feelings. They have incredible memories. They form attachments. They remember people and places.
And more importantly, they love you just as much as you love them.
Nothing I could do or say would make Archie love me any less.
To him, I am his entire world.
And maybe that is the closest thing to unconditional love there is.
True love, right here.
Me and my baby Chai at Glen Dundee. She was very territorial and didn’t like guests coming into HER home. But I swear, she was the sweetest to me.