I was the kind of kid that wasn’t allowed to have pets growing up. I would visit my friends who had cats, dogs, and guinea pigs with envy, waiting to grow up and have my very own. I even would pet sit for neighbors for free, just to pretend I had my own loving ball of fluff.
As soon as I moved to Austin, I knew it was time for my own furry friend. I started looking online at all the rescue places, visiting frequently until I finally found the dog I knew I wanted: a king charles mix (I know, that’s not the dog in the picture, but bare with me).
I dragged my boyfriend out to Bastrop to look at this puppy that I immediately fell in love with, picking out puppy names in the car. Unfortunately, that pup got adopted before we even had a chance to meet. I was heartbroken as we drove home, defeated that I didn’t get a dog. About a week later, I asked my boyfriend, Dan, if we could again drive out there, seeing as we liked the shelter we visited too.
We started looking at one dog after another, with nothing really clicking, until I saw him; this “fox-dog”, bouncing up and down as soon as we got close. Drax was a stray they had found in Bastrop county, only about 4 months old. I knew we needed to see him. Dan wasn’t sold on him, since he was pretty hyper for our 1-bedroom apartment lifestyle. I took pictures and videos of Drax, sending it to all of my friends, trying to help me convincing my boyfriend that he was perfect for us.
After seeing the videos and photos, one of my friends from out of town told me “buy him for me, I will pay you for him!” Excited that I could at least still see him and such, I told my boyfriend I found him a home… Later that night, my boyfriend decided that we were going to adopt him; he told me when I explained my friend was interested in him, that he thought “you can’t adopt him, that’s my dog”.
Dan picked him up, leaving work early to do so, and we got our crazy Dipper. He’s a people lover, everyone telling us “he looks like a little fox!” on a daily basis. Dipper also loves other dogs, he’ll playfully bark and jump at their faces, assuming the position we now deem turtle pose. I can’t imagine life without him, he’s often with me at coffee shops, visiting different breweries, he even has his own Instagram page. Besides people, Dippy also loves cuddles, blankets and chasing tennis balls. I couldn’t have asked for a better first dog!
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