the fire journey

According to usserviceanimals.org, “Emotional support animals can provide comfort and support for people with many different emotional conditions.” A few examples of this could be anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder/mood disorders, panic attacks, phobias, and other psychological conditions. I have had three dogs that have helped me exponentially mentally and whom I consider emotional support animals.

The first was Maggie, a little black Yorkshire terrier mix whom I adopted from a shelter about 45 minutes from my childhood home when I was about 14 years old. She had a past of abuse and neglect, and was about three-and-a-half years old when I got her. Throughout the rest of her life, we spent an incredible amount of time together. I taught her numerous tricks, she went with me on countless road trips across states, and on multiple camping and hiking excursions. What was really the most meaningful about my connection with her was that she was there through many, many of my lowest moods, hardest days, and darkest moments. She seemed to understand when I needed her close the most, and would curl up beside me or on my lap until the panic attack was over or the worst of depression had passed. She died April of this year at the age of twelve and a half.

The second dog that has helped me an incredible amount is a hairy little white terrier mix named Zumi, whom I adopted from my local animal shelter in 2023 when she was a year old. She was a completely different dog than Maggie; she was ready to be friends with everyone and ready to do anything. And so, she got me out of the house. She got me more active and moving when otherwise I would have stayed inside, often by myself. She had the uncanny ability to know when I was getting tempted to self-harm, and stopped me on two different occasions that I was otherwise alone. When I moved out into my own apartment, initially unable to take her with me, she stayed with my family, where she now lives.

The third dog that I consider an emotional support dog is a little five-year-old Chihuahua mix named Sam, whom my husband and I rescued the day before my birthday of this month. From his very first day home, he has been completely attached to me, as though he knew I had been waiting for him ever since Maggie died. He follows me everywhere and lays either right beside me or on my lap like a little weighted blanket. Petting him and focusing on his presence helps ease anxiety, and at the same time he can be very active and ready to explore, which gets me more active. These things, along with the fact he is very conveniently portable, can make facing the world a little less mentally-daunting.

What has been true for all of these dogs – and any emotionally-supportive animal for that matter – is that taking care of them is something worthwhile to put energy into. Knowing that an animal’s wellbeing depends on me has helped me get out of bed on many hard days. And the truth is, having another living being to think about and take care of helps us to get our minds off of ourselves…which, ironically, can help us take better care of ourselves and our minds.