And this is his story...

About 3 and 1/2 years ago I was in a place in my life where I had just finished at SLCC and had decided to take the year off and just work. I was tired of school and I just wanted to play for a while. I was in a great single's ward, I was attending tons of activities and having so much fun. That summer of 2005, my sister told me that she was finally breaking down and buying a puppy. She had gone and picked out this puppy but he wasn't old enough to come home yet. They went and visited him every week. One week she decided to invite me to come and see this adorable Shih-tzu puppy. We went to the home in Holladay, and there were 6 puppies, 2 girls and 4 boys. The 2 girls had already been picked and one of the males was the one that Michelle had chosen. That left 3 boy puppies, a black one, a brown one and a white one. They were the cutest things in the world. They could wag their tales and were starting to show their personalities. I held each one, and played with each. I dreamt about getting one. As I looked over the 3, I knew there was something about the white one that was different. He wasn't the cutest of the batch but he reminded me of my dog Bandit that I had growing up. I instantly fell in love with "Fred" and when leaving after meeting him I whispered in his ear that I promised to come back and get him. I went home and discussed the matter with my parents. My dad was instantly opposed to the matter. They already had one dog, Lady, that was my brother's that he wasn't able to take with him when he got married. My mom didn't say much about the matter, so I let it drop. When Michelle brought Murphy home, I went with my mom up to their house to see him. My mom fell instantly in love and I asked her if I could see if Fred was still available. The breeders had put an add in the paper the week before and had told me that the dogs were usually sold within a few days. So I called my dad at work, and he didn't answer so I didn't get the chance to beg him again. So my mom gave me the final go-ahead to get the dog, saying that all the other kids had gotten a pet. I called the breeder and all 3 puppies were still there, so I told her that I would be there later that night to pick him up. I had a canning assignment with the ward so I went to that for 4 hours, anticipating the time that I got to go over and pick him up. When I got to the house, he was in a big tupperware storage container, all clean and groomed. I looked inside and he got so excited. I'll never forget the way that he acted when I saw him. He tried to jump up and wagged his tail furiously. From that point on, I knew he would be an important part of my life. I named him Cosmo. I took him home, he had hiccups the whole way, and when I got there, my mom fell instantly in love. My dad tried to dislike him for as long as he could, but I think he loved him from the beginning. It's hard to not like a ball of fluff that is clumsy and wants to play all the time. Lady on the other hand had an adjustment, she hated him from the get-go. But Cosmo was never afraid of her. He was a pound and 1/2 when I got him and Lady was around 60 pounds, and Cosmo would constantly egg her on to play. They were best friends for 3 years.

I knew that when it came to getting married it would be something to think about. I promised my parents that when I get this dog that I would take him when I left. When Scott and I started dating, he knew that we were a packaged deal and when we got engaged, he looked for places that would take a pet. We finally came to the conclusion that we would stay in the apartment that he was in. We weren't allowed to have Cosmo live there but he was able to come and visit once in a while. It wasn't a big deal, he was only 2 miles away at my parents, where he was the spoiled dog. I knew that it was best for the time. He still continued to wait up in the hall for me every night for the first few months I was married. It was very confusing to him. He was used to sleeping in my room.

When we got the inspiration to move to Price, the hardest thing about the whole move was not being able to take the dog. We've been here for 6 months now and that's still the biggest trial of being here. I can talk to my mom on the phone, and my friends. But I can't do that with Cosmo. It's a struggle to go home every 3 weeks or so, and spend time with him and then have to leave. He knows the routine now and one time I was packing and he walked into my old room and let out a cry. It's rough on the both of us and I can't leave my parent's house without crying because it's so hard to leave him. Scott understands this struggle that I'm having and has been so compassionate and kind about it. He never complains about going up to West Jordan and in his spare time he is constantly looking for a new place to live where we can have Cosmo. I'm lucky to have great parents who love him as much as I do and take special care of him. I know it will he hard for them the day that we finally get to take him. Cosmo has morning cuddle time with my mom, after my dad gets up to get ready for work. Cosmo is instantly on their bed, laying on my dad's pillow. And each night when they go to bed, my dad calls Cosmo up. He's been a blessing for all of us, showing us unconditional love and comfort when we need it. I know that some don't understand the concept of loving an animal so much but I'm grateful for that opportunity.