Every year, I celebrate Lia’s birthday with a party. It’s pretty much a corgi meetup—except with many of our closest friends (even non corgis and people without dogs) and with food, drinks, and cake (Always cake). But this year felt different. Ten is indeed a milestone, and with milestones come reflection.
Here’s the thing about sharing life with a dog: you don’t get forever. That’s the hard bargain we make. They steal your heart, rearrange your world, and in return you get the kind of unimaginable joy that only they can give—but you also sign up inevitably for the hardest goodbye.
Ok quick pause. Lia is fine. She’s healthy, spunky and barky as ever. Her appetite is as veracious as it has always been, and aside from walking on extended hikes – she has shown little to no signs of slowing down.
Lia is my everything. I’ve built so much of my life around her. Through our therapy dog work, she’s shared her light with strangers on our visits, lifting spirits with her smile the way she lifts mine every single day. I told myself that when Lia turned 10, I’d consider getting her a sibling. Not because she needs one—she’s honestly very content being the only child. This is me selfishly planning ahead for when that time comes. I don’t think she’d be miserable, Lia is pretty aloof with any of the dogs that we’ve watched during our Rover stays. It doesn’t cause her any stress, so I think she’d adapt easily enough if I were to introduce a new sibling to our home.
I did put a few feelers out there for a sibling for Lia, believe it or not we came really close…didn’t think it could happen so quickly. Good or bad, it didn’t work out but there was for a second that fleeting excitement thinking about what a two corg household would be like.
The universe however had other things planned for us. I’m incredibly grateful for Lia, her health and happiness as each birthday approaches. This week is going to be all about celebrating the ten incredible years I’ve had with my little girl. Ten years of unconditional love, adventures, therapy dog visits, trips to the gym, and countless cookies. Ten years of a corgi who’s not just my pet, but my heart.