My name is Mandi, and I have an incredible love for dogs and the connections people have to them.  Since the beginnings of childhood, I was quick to learn that life can be tough, people can let us down, and dogs are ALWAYS a trusted friend.  As far as I'm concerned, in most situations, dogs are a solid.  They are always loyal, meaning they show us honor and respect as we do them.  As a puppy, they are malleable.  Their behavior can be molded by their environment and exposures, much like a person.  So, when allowed to spend much time with us, a dog learns our tones, our body language, routines, and it seems as though they can read into our soul.  My dog responds to how I feel without it being spoken.  He understands my battles with PTSD better than I do because he knows me.  He studies me.  He even comes with me to the restroom, lol!  My dog meets a need inside my heart that can only come from having a close companion who is there for me emotionally in ways that I've never had a human do.  I have a husband who I know loves me very much, but my little buddy BLU is different.  He has his own spot in Moma's heart.  If you've ever experienced your own "heart dog", then you know what I mean.  

My very first experience with a "heart dog" came to me when I needed a friend very much in my life.  It also needed to be the right fit for three small children.  I didn't just want a dog.  I NEEDED a friend, and it had to be the right one.  I literally prayed for a year, while looking and waiting for the right dog.  Then I found my Bailey!  He was a Golden Retriever, and he was that perfect friend I had been waiting for.  He taught me how a dog can silently devote their life to being our emotional support during the tumultuous ride of life's storms.  He shared in celebrating with our family at every birthday, Christmas, and milestones with raising three kiddos.  He wore the little league football helmet, was ridden like a horse, he was climbed on, hit with sponge balls in the yard, swam with us, and so on.  But when it was needed most, he was the one who sat beside me on the porch.  He just pushed his back up next to my side and slid his snout below my hand when I didn't feel the energy to rub him.  He decided not to let me be alone while I felt empty. He laid his head in my lap while I cried. I experienced brokenness, and my Bailey was by my side.  He was almost 13 when I laid beside him in our living room floor.  He passed at our home surrounded by the family he helped raise, but boy I'll tell ya, his memory sure lives on today! 

As you can now tell by reading this, I've acquired a passion for helping others achieve a connection to their own "heart dog".  Everyone experiences life- the good and the bad.  Some just need a little more LOVE to enrich this life, and for me and many others, that comes through the power of having a DOG.