MY HEIDI GIRL AND FOR THE LOVE OF RESCUE DOGS

I drove today! Five days after surgery and I can't believe I was already able to run some errands, with me in the driver's seat. You might say I did it for our girl, Heidi, but if I'm being honest the peach shakes from Chick-fil-A were calling me. And did I tell you I can eat anything during my recovery and beyond? Thank you Jesus, for the little things!

Heidi is quite an anomaly among Great Pyrenees. First, she doesn't often bark. She also doesn't want to be outside and prefers to lay on our hardwood floors throughout the house, my husband and I close at hand, while she sleeps for about 20 hours per day—at only two years old!

And sweet. All Great Pyrenees have a sweet nature, but she is extra conscious of our feelings, even after only a month of living here. Here she is the night before my surgery. We found her lying on the floor on my side of the bed, head on one of my throw pillows, all cuddled in. She had never laid there before, and I was deeply touched that she must have known something was up and was extra concerned for me.

She has taken care of me in ways that she has never experienced. When they rescued her, she was only 45 pounds, had almost no hair and was covered in scabs all over her body. Thankfully, a woman named Shannon at the rescue took her in and nursed her back to health for six months until she was placed up for adoption. I can't believe we found Heidi, the sweetest soul ever, and so giving of love after such a sad first few years of life, including so much abuse and neglect.

So, now at almost 90 pounds (here she is, newly groomed), Heidi spends her days hanging out with me, and her favorite thing to do is go for car rides. She heads for the garage door each time we go out in hopes of an adventure. And when we do, she mostly sleeps in the back seat and loves to poke her head out of the window in the grocery store parking lot to get lots of pets. She loves everyone. Even the deer around our neighborhood don't run away when they see her coming. She exudes a unique calmness and they must know that she'd even protect them with her guardian instincts.

Shannon calls her "Hollywood" since she'd only been in a car maybe three times in her whole life. A unicorn of a Great Pyrenees, for sure.

When my husband and Heidi picked me up from the hospital, she wouldn't stop hugging me with her head on my neck from the back seat. We opted to bring her in the car instead of meeting again at home and risking her jumping up on me in excitement and doing damage to my stomach unintentionally.

It worked out perfectly. And she is perfect (or pyrfect, as we say in the Pyrenees world!)

Sure, she's not without challenges, just like us all. She took about a month to get potty stuff down pat since she had never gone to the potty on a leash before. It really does create issues! And she had three accidents in the house, two of which ruined two $500 Garnet Hill sheepskin rugs in two separate rooms. But we love her, and along with the amazing stuff, there are always a few things to work through with an older rescue dog. A bit of patience and lots of love, and you'll have a companion and best friend for years to come.

When I was taking care of my Dad, especially in his final year, I wished we had a dog that could sit with him and keep him company—a dog like Heidi. He adored dogs, and while the mechanical cat that I got him actually seemed to help, it wasn't the same.

Dad would have loved Heidi so much. As do we. She's home now and we are grateful to have her as part of our family.

Our very own therapy dog. In our greatest time of need.