HOW A DOG CAN CHANGE YOUR LIFE

I can’t even remember how joyful I was when my parents decided to bring a dog home. To be honest, for me it was just a kid dream, because I’d never experienced what it could mean to take care of someone. But I wasn’t worried about that and I was determined to try and take care of a puppy.

At first, we checked local kennels looking for a special dog. When we found it, it was a sunny day of August. My dad got in touch with a Jack Russell breeder in the area of Frosinone. All of us, my parents, my brother and me went to have a look and to decide what to do once there. The place was kind of a farm, full of horses, cows and ducks. The backyard of the farm was, instead, overcrowded with Jack Russell Terrier of all ages and sizes. The smallest one had a tiny scratch on the top of the forehead, with the head completely ginger- brown and a dark brown funny stain on the back. She was the youngest of the brood and her eyes attracted me since the first moment. To convince my parents was easier than I thought, maybe because they found her as funny as I did. From gazing curiously through the bushes to lay down as sphinx, she drew our attention.

As soon as we decided, the first thing to do was finding a name for her, but this was very hard and it took time. After many attempts, the idea came: while the dog was crying, my brother said “come on dear Joy, don’t cry”. “What have you said?” Mum asked “It sounds great, what do you think about

Joy as a name?” Since that moment, the small white and hairy dog running through the rooms of our house has been called JOY. I still remember the first nights she was with us, crying all night long and looking for someone to cuddle her.

Biting furniture, running around and having fun with everything and everyone is her daily routine, but what amazes me the most is her ability to switch from a crazy jumping moment to a sleepy sense of “narcolepsy”. I always say “It is like having a comedian at home.” Whenever you want to smile, you just need to turn your head on her and look at her funny snout .

Today , for example, she has slept almost all day long but when she awakes, she shakes our lives with her vitality, awkward moves and funny poses. Since she got home, every morning she has jumped on my bed trying to lick my nose, my ears and my forehead and sometime she manages to slide down the blankets. So I have a pretty special alarm clock ;) . I’d love to spend more time with her but, unfortunately, due to school and others commitments I can’t play with her as I would like. But I love her. She is my JOY. 

Francesco