Dasha

Dasha is a Russian name that means "gift of God." As I said in an earlier blog, I now consider Nash to be a gift from God, but it took me a while to recognize that. Not so with Dasha.
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She came to me at a hard time in my life. My parents were getting divorced. I had passed my thirtieth birthday and had no prospects for marriage when it seemed like everyone around me was getting married. I didn’t like my job and was grossly overweight.
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One day a friend asked me to keep her dog for a few days while she was out of town. I did, and it made me happier than I had been in a long time. I decided then and there to get myself a dog, though money was tight and it would involve a move to another apartment.
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I began to pray about it, and money started coming in from unexpected places. I moved to a new apartment and made plans to get a puppy in the spring. I had to get a dog under 25 lbs. (apartment rules) and wanted a female who didn’t shed, preferably a poodle crossbreed.
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The day finally came, and I found an ad in the paper for cockapoo puppies at a price I could afford. I called, and they had one female. I drove to a part of town I wasn’t familiar with at all and met the little brown dog who melted my heart. She was no bigger than a beanie baby. I had brought a crate to put her in, but I just couldn’t do it, so I drove home with her in my lap. She whined at full volume all the way home, and I cried too.

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She wasn’t perfect. If you’ve ever had a puppy you know that they don’t come knowing all the rules. She whined most of the night at first but soon outgrew that. I had to housebreak her (which I was able to do in a reasonable amount of time) and replace or repair many things that she chewed up, but she was worth it.

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My mom, who has never been a dog person, came over to see her and fell in love with her. I think her attitude toward dogs in general changed that day.

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As for me, I now had someone besides myself to take care of who was a wonderful companion who greeted me enthusiastically every time I walked in the door. She lifted my spirits, and I never really felt lonely again after I got her.

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I met Don a few years later. He was also a dog lover, though he was prejudiced against little dogs. Dasha soon won him over. We married and interestingly, bought a house on the very street where Dasha was born.
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Dasha is ten now, and I am seeing signs of aging. Cockapoos are supposed to have long lives, so I hope to have her for many years to come. For however long I have her, though, I am thankful for each day we have had and for the gift God gave me to comfort me and bring me joy when I needed it most.