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I am a dog person and have been since I was born. My first friend was Tasha, a majestic silver and black German shepherd. From the moment I was brought home from the hospital, she stayed by my side. She used to sit next to my sandbox standing guard over me as I played. She passed away by my side as well during April vacation when I was in fourth grade. She had cancer and we knew her time was coming. She laid at my feet, closed her eyes, and then peacefully crossed the rainbow bridge.

Zack was my next dog. We got him when I turned 12 years old. He was a traditional gold and black German shepherd. Zack was big, strong, and fast. He loved to run. The town I grew up in was wooded with rolling hills. I would lace up my roller blades, put the leash on Zack and he would pull me full speed all over town. Zack was my teenage dog, and as both of us grew up, I traded the roller blades for peaceful walks through the town forest. 

Throughout high school, Zack and I spent less time together; however, we both treasured our daily walks. No matter what my teenage schedule, we would go for our walks through the forest near my house. After the Navy, I moved out to Arizona for college. I did get to see Zack on breaks from college and, as he aged, I hugged him extra tight with each visit because I knew his time was near the end. He passed when I was 24 years old while I was living in Arizona, leaving me devastated.

The problem with dogs is they don’t last forever. Even though I was a couple of thousand miles away in Arizona when Zack passed, I felt this huge void in my life, so I started volunteering at a rescue shelter. After college, I volunteered to walk dogs a couple of times a week. I had been dating the woman who would be my future wife, Jocelyn, at the time and she said the timing wasn’t right to get a dog. She said once we graduated, got married, and settled down, then timing would be right to get a dog.

Fast forward to May of 2005. It had been about four years since Zack had passed and we had not yet gotten a dog. After I graduated college, Jocelyn and I moved back to the greater Boston area. That’s when it happened. I woke up paralyzed from the waist down and ended up in the hospital. I was diagnosed with transverse myelitis and eventually multiple sclerosis. As a result of my MS diagnosis, I fell into a deep depression. I didn’t know if I was ever going to walk again, let alone walk and care for a dog. 

A month after my diagnosis, my wife got me a soft coat Wheaton terrier for my birthday. At the time, I didn’t know whether I would be able to keep the dog because I didn’t know what my new normal would be with MS. But when I saw him and I held him for the first time, the shadow of depression that clouded my life since my MS diagnosis was gone in an instant. I knew when I looked at him his name would be Ted. Together with Ted, I rehabbed and learned to walk again. To this day, I don’t think I could have survived without him. 

Ted was with me through three major MS relapses and a major neck surgery. He could sense when I didn’t feel well or was recovering and waited patiently by my side as I healed. When I was ready to resume our daily walks, Ted was always ready to go. He became our family dog and helped us raise our two boys. Ted was with us for 15-and-a-half years and saying goodbye to him is still the hardest thing I have ever done in my life.

When Ted passed, not only was there a void in my life, but the kids had never lived a day without a dog. Jocelyn had the idea that we should get two small dogs next so they could keep each other entertained and be easy to travel with. She started researching different breeds and found a small dog breed named Havanese. This was during COVID-19 and dog litters were scarce, so imagine our surprise when we learned of a litter of Havanese that were born on the same day that Ted passed. There were two little boy pups and everyone on the breeders wait list were waiting for girls. Jocelyn told me it was like Teddy sent these two to us from above.

Jocelyn knows me. I am lazy by nature. If I don’t have a dog to walk or a reason to get out of the house, I am content to lay on the couch and let time slip away. For a person living with MS, my natural tendency to be lazy is a troublesome trait. I need to keep moving and keep walking. With three major MS relapses and a major neck surgery, it is easy to just sit on the couch and give up. However, with a dog, I am forced to get up and walk them. Dogs give me a purpose and a will to fight through the MS fatigue. So, Jocelyn understood that having a dog is the best MS therapy for me.

Now, we have two little Havaneses – Barry and Jasper. While they are only about 14 pounds each, they have big personalities. I didn’t think I was going to like small dogs as much; I love these little guys. Jasper and Barry will not let me sleep in. They’ll force me up for the morning walk, even on days where I want to stay in bed and let MS win. I know that as long as I have a dog in my life to take care of, my MS will not win.