my mini

Harper, two months old

I am of the opinion that a house is not a home without an animal. For me, it has always been dogs but I know my heart is open to just about any animal. Give me an anteater and I will build it an anteater abode. Bring over a cow and by golly, I'll make room for it, utters and all. I just love animals - I love their innocence, their curiousity and the overall energy that they bring to a home - no matter if it is a fourth floor apartment or a rustic farm house.
So when we decided to buy our first home, the list of priorities quickly started stacking up:
A big kitchen for me, not only as a chef but as a die hard dinner party thrower.
A large space for a cozy couch and our big TV for Sunday Fundays - go Ravens
A beautiful master bedroom - a special space for just my husband and I - no TVs, no computers, just a place to relax and rest.
But what was the biggest priority? A backyard for our Miniature Schnauzer, Harper.
We rescued Harper from a woman in Tennessee that took in pups that were born in puppy mills and that didn't fit the ideal mold. She and her brothers and sisters were less than one pound, on the verge of contracting parvo, dying from neglect and just begging for a good home. I scooped up that little girl and took her to a veterinarian right away. She made it through the first week like a little trooper and as time went on she got stronger and started to show us her Schnauzerish  personality. Dave and I taught her how to eat solid food, and sometimes I still sit on the floor next to her food bowl and watch her eat. With every kibble crunched between her teeth, I go back to her fighting for her life to just get to some clean water. Four years later, I still tear up thinking about this sweet little thing being sentenced to death because she wasn't good enough.
To us, she is perfect.
So in less than a week, our girl gets a big backyard where she can run and play and dig and hide. Harper will get her own space where she can be a dog and I just couldn't ask for anything more. Seeing her basking in the summer sun or playing in the snow, it will be what makes this new house our home.