My whole married life I wanted a dog, but my husband and I always rented places that had “no pet” policies — not that it would deter me from constantly asking him for one. I was mostly joking, but secretly hoping he’d surprise me and bring one home from work someday.
After all, he works at the Pasadena Humane Society & Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, a bit of a tease for me. He would always reply with a kind “no,” and remind me of the no pet policy. However, he promised that once we moved to a place that allowed pets, we would adopt a dog.
Just two weeks after moving into a new place earlier this year, that day came.
The actual process of finding a dog was a little like internet dating. I browsed the Humane Society’s “Available Pets” page every day looking for a match, until I came across a pint-size, tri-color, female Chihuahua/papillon mix named Chalupa. I had been asking my husband about a number of dogs before coming across Chalupa — who looked like she was wearing boots with her white paws and brown legs — but many already had long waiting lists of other potential adopters.
She was found as a stray and was adopted, but then quickly returned. We felt bad that she had to start the shelter process again, so we started the adoption process that day. Two days later — March 4 — she was in her new forever home with us.
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Frida wasn’t a fan of being left at home — and I missed her, too. Luckily, I was able to start bringing her to work at the Jewish Journal within the first few weeks of her joining the family. She was initially shy, but it didn’t take long for her to open up and win her way into each of our hearts. Our unofficial office dog, weighing in at a mighty 7 pounds, Frida likes to run around the office chasing her plush toys. She’ll also dart into our editor-in-chief’s office looking for treats and spend time in other co-workers’ laps. You can hear it in the disappointed sighs when co-workers learn that Frida isn’t in the office that day. </p>
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Since Frida entered our lives, stress and worry can be easily remedied with a quick cuddle or game of tug-of-war. Finding places where my husband and I can take her has also renewed our enjoyment for the outdoors, whether they be dog-friendly trails or cool urban hikes. </p>
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She has brought so much love to our home, and her sweet little stares and cuddles bring us such joy. Nowadays, we can’t imagine our lives without her. It feels like she has always been with us.</p>
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<strong><em>Sara Budisantoso</em></strong><em> is the traffic manager at the Jewish Journal. You can follow her on her blog <a href=)
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