Yesterday marked one year since Winter joined the family. On May 25, 2019, Katherine and I got together at the park with one of my high school friends to meet a dog she had posted online. We’d been talking about adopting for a while; we’d even bought all the supplies and met a few candidates, but we hadn’t found the right match. That is, until we met Winter.

From my very first interaction with her, I knew that Winter was the one. She was so friendly and sweet, but not overly excited or jumpy—the energy of a puppy with the restraint of a mature dog. Our lifestyle is pretty laid back (read: lazy) at home, so we knew we’d need a dog who could just chill out with us. But we also needed a pet who was agreeable since we knew that children were somewhere down the road for us. Winter checked all of those boxes.

Someone loves to lounge outside when the weather is nice.

But it wasn’t so much a checklist that let me know that she was the dog for us. It was that instant feeling of connection when I first met her. Besides my childhood dog Wrinkles, I’ve never bonded emotionally with a pet before. I’m just not the kind of person to click instantly with most animals. But when I first met Winter, I felt something, and that told me this one was special.

Katherine is a lot more comfortable and in tune with animals than I am, so she connects with them instantly. If she’d had her way, we probably would have adopted every dog we met during the process. But she was very patient with me and my process of finding a dog I felt comfortable bringing into our home. I’m still really grateful for that.

The moment Katherine knew that something was different between me and this dog was when Winter licked my face and I didn’t freak out. I’ve never been a fan of dogs licking me, especially in my face, so when we would meet one who did that, I would be immediately put off. But because I felt an emotional connection with Winter, it didn’t bother me so much, and that indicated to Katherine that something was different.

We went through the formalities: asked about Winter’s health record, made sure she was up to date on shots, found out about her habits at home. And then I turned to Katherine and said, “Do you want to take her home?” Now, our plan was to meet Winter, go home and discuss it, and move forward from there. But I had already made up my mind: I wanted Winter to be a part of our family. Even though Katherine was shocked at my question, she agreed that Winter was the one, so we took her home right then and there.

Less than a week after we brought her home, Winter was already pretty well settled in. I told you she fits into our lazy lifestyle.

And ever since she walked through our door, Winter has made this place her home. She’s napped in every corner and on every cushion. She can navigate our neighborhood walks like they’re second nature. And she’s covered every inch of this place in her white fur to the point that nobody could visit us and not know that a dog lives here. Not long after she moved in, I turned to Katherine and observed, “We officially live in a dog house now.”

Even though I knew Winter was the right pet for us, I had some concerns about bringing a dog into the house. Some of them turned out to be founded, but most of them weren’t. We lost a throw rug to an accident when she was first getting familiar with the house. We have to clean more often and more diligently to keep up with the shedding. Our schedules have had to adjust to ensure that Winter gets the care and attention that she needs.

But those are really just minor inconveniences in comparison to the joy that she brings to our home. My big, serious fears turned out to be completely unrealistic. I was afraid that I wouldn’t be good at taking care of a pet, that my wife would end up picking up all of my slack. I was afraid that I wouldn’t have the patience necessary to care for Winter and deal with all that having a pet entails. I was afraid that my initial connection with her would be as deep as our relationship went, that I wouldn’t grow to love her and she wouldn’t grow to love me.

Of course, all of these concerns seem ridiculous now. But at the time, they were very real, and navigating them was a bit of an emotional roller coaster as we prepared to adopt. Once Winter was here, though, that all went out the door.

Our first Christmas photo with Winter. ☺️

The truth is that she’s given us so much more than we could ever possibly give her. Even just her presence is a gift of comfort that I can’t imagine living without now. She’s taught us so much: what it’s like to be loved by someone so much that they can’t stand not being in the same room with you, how to take care of someone who depends on you, and the importance of making sacrifices for the ones you love. And we’ve created so many precious memories together that we’re going to hold on to for a lifetime.

Bringing Winter into our home was a completely natural and comfortable transition. It’s exactly what we were supposed to do.

Like any major relationship in one’s life, our bond with Winter seems both older and newer than it really is. One the one hand, it feels like it was just yesterday that we brought her home. But at the same time, we can’t imagine (or even fully remember) life without her. She’s such an integral part of our home and family now, and we are so grateful that she is.

Our first year having Winter as part of the family has been great, and we are looking forward to many, many more years with her. Happy gotcha day, Winter! We love you.