For most “normal” kids, the most interesting things around them seem to be other humans.
But not Eloise.
As her vision improved earlier this year, we noticed that in addition to being attracted to lights, Eloise was also attracted to something new — our cat. Who did not exactly return the affection. Soon, though, to test out how big her love was, we began introducing her to dogs. All kinds. And, pretty quickly, it became clear that Eloise had found her “people.” Brian and I were excited to see her light up. To see her lean forward. To see her interact. To see her filled with curiosity towards these creatures. Which left us no choice — we needed to find her a companion.
So Brian started researching. “Best therapy dog small” “best dog for kid with disabilities” “therapy dog for mentally disabled child” “small service dogs”
We went back and forth for months, looking at different breeds, debating if we really truly wanted to take on the work of loving and training a puppy. But as time went on, regardless how we felt, Eloise’s attraction never changed. She loved dogs. Big. Small. Barking. Silent. Chewing. Jumping. Interested. Uninterested. It didn’t matter. She liked them.
So we got a contact of a fantastic local dog trainer who came and met with us. Thinking he would either talk us out of it or help us understand that we could do it. He didn’t talk us out of it, instead, we just got a better sense of what we needed to do to be a great home. Which meant it was happening. We’d start the long journey of finding a puppy. Now all we needed to do was pick a breed or two and wait for some litters over the coming months.
English bulldog? King Cavalier Spaniel? Golden retriever? Golden doodle? Labrador retriever? Labradoodle?
We debated the pros and cons (and availability in Estonia).
Then, finally, one night a month back I asked Brian, “What about a standard poodle? They’re great therapy dogs. You don’t actually have to have froo froo haircuts for them. They are big enough that Eloise probably won’t scare them with her flapping and jumping. And, plus, they don’t shed.” He paused. “Sure, why not?”
Like fate somehow heard that conversation, the next day someone sent me an ad for puppies. Poodle puppies. Let the puppy search begin.
Now that the puppies are 5-6 weeks old, it was finally time to see them. So yesterday we drove the 2.5 hours out to Narva to visit. We knew it wouldn’t be likely that we could pick a puppy from just one encounter. Which is a big part of why we went with our trainer to have him help us look for early behaviors that would indicate whether a dog might be a good fit or not. There wasn’t even a guarantee that we would find a suitable puppy in this litter.
When we arrived, half the puppies swarmed around Eloise immediately while the other half went to play elsewhere. Eloise was in heaven as she tried touching and hugging and kissing all of them. Soon, though, most of the puppies wandered off — losing interest or not enjoying Eloise’s brand of touch. A few stuck around a bit longer. And, then, there was only one left.
This puppy.
Eloise pulled and hugged and tugged and kissed and patted. And he was completely unphased. He just stayed with her. As Eloise bounced her hand up and down on him, “petting” him, and kicked her legs out over and over in excitement, he lay there contentedly. I was amazed. There was no decision to be made. HE chose HER. We had our puppy.
So now we wait. Just one more month while he grows and socializes and stays with his pack. Then? We start the long and tiring but rewarding journey of becoming his new pack. I’m sure the wait will be worth it.
Wish us luck (and the ability to be firm, fair, and kind puppy owners),
Mallory, Eloise, and Brian
Eloise The Tiny Fighter 
This is so exciting and so good. There is nothing like a dogs love for their human!!!
It will be so fun watch Eloise and her puppy develop together!!
Do you have a name for the puppy yet?
💗💗🐾🐾
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