Tiki in his new plaid coat. Photo contributed
I am passionate about animals. Growing up, we weren't allowed to have dogs (we were apartment dwellers), but we had many cats, whom we adored.
When I got married in 1990, I married the love of my life. One problem: He was allergic to everything (ok, I had a hermit crab, and our daughter had fish and a chameleon when she was young).
The only thing that kept me sane was that my sister lives nearby and has four cats – including one sweetheart whom we adopted in July 2009 from Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Kenab, Utah.
But the pet I am sending you today is our dog. About five years ago, my husband went gluten free and began noticing an improvement in his seasonal allergies. Two years ago last August, he visited friends who have Bichons, and he stayed over – and no reaction!
Bless his heart, he came home and told me – and so, we now have our wonderful, sweet, adorable, smart pup! Tiki brings us such joy! We are both retired and working new careers out of the home, so we are home most of the time and have built a strong bond with our little guy. I am grateful every day for Tiki, no exaggeration.
Thank you for letting me tell you our story.
And, oh, we're all pretty excited that this year's Best Dog in Show at Westminster is a Bichon!