The best $20 I've ever spent.

Today is a very special day: Alice’s adoption day! One year ago this afternoon, we brought Alice home from the shelter. This is the first picture I took of her after she walked in the door.

I was working that day, and I discovered quickly that it’s hard to anything but play while a puggle’s staring at you.

I was so nervous when I brought her home. I didn’t know what to expect. The shelter wasn’t sure if she was potty-trained, so I was fully expecting her to weedle on the floor. Or chew on the cabinets. I absolutely expected that we’d lose our security deposit.

All she did was find a spot on the carpeting, rub her face all over it, and then dropped and rolled on her back (for the record, it took her about a week to start going to the bathroom normally. In that time, she wee’d on the rug once or twice, but conveniently mostly kept her accidents to the bathroom rug. What a smart girl).

After she was done rubbing her face, she laid down and took a nap.

I’d never had a dog with big ears before Alice. It never occurred to me that they’d flop over her face when she slept, or that that was one of the cutest things ever.

I have to say, Alice looks a lot better than she did when we brought her home. Having a family has been good for her. Here she is today:

In the past year, Alice has done quite a bit of traveling. She’s been to fourteen states, plus DC.

She’s had her picture taken in front of magical and mythical creatures.

She’s gone to parades, yappy hours, fundraisers, and festivals.

She graduated from school.

She’s gone sightseeing.

She's played in snow and in a river.

She’s been a model.

She met Wonder Woman.

And she got into a book.

Though laid out her adventures sound cool for a little dog, I’m pretty sure that The Human Male and I have benefited more. FAR more. I’ve learned so much from Alice in the past year:

• Everyone deserves more patience than you think
• Messes are inevitable
• It's okay to get dirty
• Unconditional love doesn’t take years to develop
• Giving a little bit of love to something else can make a world of difference
• Crazy dog people are some of the greatest people out there
• The best things in the world don't need to cost a lot-- like a $20 adoption fee
  

We have many more adventures planned this year: a visit to wine country, the release of Alice’s book, and holiday trips are already on the docket. I’m excited about those, and for the adventures we haven’t planned yet. And I’m excited to experience them with Alice. The world just looks rosier when your hand’s on a leash.

This is the first picture I saw of Alice:

Here she was on the day we met her:

And today:

Happy Adoption Day, little Snugs.