Taylor - Made

My husband Chris and I have discussed getting a puppy for a while now to help with my manic depression. Sometimes I can feel when an episode is coming on and other times it hits like a freight train completely unexpected. We’ve asked around and did some research and one of the best ways to help someone (other than medication) with depression is getting an animal. The decision was made, now we just had to wait for the opportunity to get a dog.

Chris’ favorite actor is Keanu Reeves so it was no big surprise when we talked about getting a puppy that he said he would want to name him Keanu. However, I’m a sucker for the underdog and when we went to pick him up, I changed my mind about which gender we were going to get. In the bottom of this box we were looking in was the tiniest dog I had ever seen. Unlike her siblings, her markings were only on her head and rear end whereas the rest had spots all over. All her brothers and sisters were stepping on her trying to get my attention and she was too little to do anything about it. She might not have been the prettiest in the bunch but there was a different kind of attraction I felt towards her. Chris just looked at me, smiled and said he knew that I would pick the runt. When we got home, I told him that since he wanted a male puppy to name Keanu, but I had picked a female, that we would compromise and name her Reeves.

Battlestar, our Russian Blue, stays far away from her for now and just watches from a distance. Starfox on the other hand loved her from the moment we brought her home. They follow each other everywhere and I have caught Starfox cleaning her a few times. They even play with the ball together.

I have not taken medication for my depression since I was in high school and I would rather not be dependent on medication. Having Reeves will help me to fight my episodes because I know she is dependent on me to care for her. Also, dogs offer unconditional love and companionship, and they can sense when we aren’t feeling well.

Reeves might think that I saved her, but she has no idea how much she has saved me.