“Her name is Neytiri. It’s the main female character from the movie, ‘Avatar.’ I used to have a male named Jake, which was the main male character.

“About a year ago, she was playing with my friend’s bigger dog when they nipped each other. It was just an accident, but she lost her eye. When it happened, Neytiri jumped up on my bed and just looked at me like she was sad. I knew it hurt, so I took her to the vet. They said it pierced the retina and they wouldn’t be able to save the eye, so we scheduled the surgery.

“At times now, she creeps up on the edges of things because she knows it’s not quite the same as it used to be. But she’s bounced back. She still loves to come out here to play and chase the squirrels. She doesn’t see them as well as she used to, but she manages pretty well.

“I’ve been divorced for about three years. I don’t know what I’d do without her. We live in a trailer at a little RV park, and she sleeps in the bed with me. Comes under the covers on my right side every night. She’s such a great companion.”

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“I had my heart set on a Basset Hound. But then we looked at this breed of dog I had never heard of, called a Rat Terrier. In that moment, I knew I was not going home with a Basset Hound. It ended up being one of the best decisions of my life.

“Samson came at a pivotal time. All my friends were dating somebody or getting married or having kids. While they were having these big life events, he was that thing in my life that I could be proud of. He was sort of my big life event.

“We kind of grew up together. I was in my early 20s, trying to find myself. He was my ride-or-die buddy. He went everywhere with me.

“It was a transitional time for me. I went to college in Alabama, then moved back to Texas, away from all my college friends. So he kind of filled that hole for me.

“As a puppy, he was really fun and goofy. As he got older, he developed this very serious personality. For a while, he was my registered emotional support animal. If I was having a panic attack or anxiety attack, he would sense it and come stand by me.

“When my husband and I got together, we were two pretty stupid young kids unprepared for marriage. We had a difficult time at the start. If we were arguing, Samson would come and stand between us. He would provide that wall of separation, that wall of peace. My husband would recognize it as, hey, we both need a moment here.

“We’ve been married 15 years, and we struggled with infertility. So, quite frankly, Samson was like my child. I babied him.

“It may sound crazy, and it probably is, but I found a lot of my identity through him. Not only did he help me grow up, he helped me get through some really difficult times in my life.

“A couple days before he passed, I had a going-away party for Sam. I wanted to give everybody a chance to love on him. It got very emotional.

“I have this hole in my heart now. Some people may not understand. They may think, oh, he’s just an animal, just a dog. But he was so much more than that to me. We had this connection that you couldn’t understand unless you experienced it.

“Even though I love all my other dogs, there will never be another Samson. He was that once-in-a-lifetime pet.”

— Trina Hattenstein

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“Is she looking at me? Yes! Yes! I love the dog park. I can run, get muddy, fall in love. Is she still there? And the water has an interesting, complex flavor although I usually prefer a more oaky taste. Is that a good sound bite? Can I go?”
— Copper, an Australian Shepherd

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“When my humans watch TV, I pull this plushie in front of the screen and start humping it. They used to cheer me on: ‘Stop that! Freddie! Stop that!’ Now they mostly ignore me, but it still feels so good. Sometimes they forget to hide my plushie when other humans come to sit in the chairs, so that’s when I can get the cheering started again.”
— Freddie, a spayed female rat terrier mix, adopted from Baytown Animal Shelter

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“My human is a big Boston Red Sox fan, so he named me Fenway. But my friends call me The Green Monster.”
— Fenway

This 125-pound Great Dane loves to eat, at the tune of 60 pounds of food every 1-2 weeks.

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“Rainy days and Mondays always get me down. Sunshine on my shoulders makes me happy.”
Do you always speak so lyrically?
“Express yourself, and let me be me.”
— Berny

This Dalmatian was a 4-week-old puppy with a bad case of heart worms when he was found during a summer trip to Mexico.

The post Lyrical Berny living his best life appeared first on The Baytown Project.

“When I grow up, I’m going to be a neurosurgeon.”
— Tara

This Miniature Schnauzer and certified therapy dog has logged countless visits to hospitals, schools, nursing homes and libraries as a volunteer with Faithful Paws.

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“Sometimes in life you get blindsided. But if you keep looking forward with your good eye, you may find your best friend.”
— Hershey

This chocolate Lab was dumped in the Cove area, before finding its forever home.

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“See that fence over there? I know three places where I can wriggle through. Wait until she looks the other way and I’ll show you my favorite one.”
— Daisy, a Lab mix who is an escape artist

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Your owner says you have destroyed five dog beds.
“Those were beds? I thought they were fluffy kill toys. I love, love, love puffs of fluff.”
She says she’s not buying you any more beds.
“She did? I don’t believe you. She always brings me treats.” 
— Lola, unclaimed stray who found a forever home

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