Two little white socks
The first thing I noticed was the big red bow around her neck. She was waddling up and down on her short legs, scanning the people with her squinted eyes for The One. I stood on tip-toe to see over the heads of the people in front of me. Trying to catch another glimpse of the tiny pink tongue sticking out between a forest of whiskers. Our eyes made contact. It was like a staring contest, but neither of us could look away. I slowly made my way through the crowd and stuck my finger through the wire that made up the cage. That tiny pink tongue licked it. At first, I thought it was due to the midsummer heat, but then I realised my heart melted, and all resistance crumbled away under the loving gaze of this little creature that would fit in the palm of my hand. That night I marvelled in the aroma of puppy breath on my pillow, and my life changed forever. In the 12 years that followed, the two of us shared many precious mom...