This Tuesday, October 20th, our poochon Gucci turns two.
To celebrate, I’m finally telling the whole story of how he came into our lives, including the parts I left out last time.
Let’s start with the confession.
Before finding Gucci, we got scammed.
Yep, you read that right.
A stranger on the internet took our hopes (and a few hundred of our dollars) and left us with a free lesson in trust issues. They would have taken more, if we didn’t realize it was a scam, lol. (Tell-tale: if they’re urgently asking for money upfront, it’s a freakin’ scam. Lesson learned.)
Which makes Gucci the most expensive Gucci we’ve ever bought.
And we’re still paying for “the” Gucci, with his living expenses, vet fees, treats and toys. Yes, lots and lots of treats and toys! xD
In fact, the scam experience has become a running gag between my husband and me.
Whenever we pass by the bank where we withdrew the cash for Gucci, we do the math: the money we paid for him, plus the money paid to the scammer.
Total?
….Yeah, let’s just say our bank account felt that one, lol.
Also, we would end up joking and laughing about that unfortunate fact. That’s how we came to accept that we would make mistakes in life, but it’s how we learn (heck, yeah, accountability!).
So my thought after that fiasco was, maybe it wasn’t time for us to get a dog.
But my husband thought otherwise. He really wanted a dog for us. And again, the thing with him is that… he can be extremely stubborn. So he continued looking for a dog, like a man on a mission.
He found Gucci’s original family on Craigslist. When he told me about it, I looked at him incredulously and said, “Absolutely not!! Do you not remember what just happened?!”
Thus, I made a deal with him: the other party had to meet us halfway since the place they lived was two hours away from us.
I was surprised when they agreed to it.
On the drive, they sent photos of the pup, errr… puppies. Did I already say that Gucci has a sister? They actually had us choose which one we would like to have.
We could only afford to keep one of them, thus we chose Gucci.
Fun Fact: girl dogs scared me back then because I was told they… menstruate. I couldn’t handle blood or anything of that sort since my knees easily turn to jelly. But I read up on that and got myself educated on that end. I’m happy to report that I was scared for nothing, lol. We actually adopted our second furbaby, Sachi, and she’s a very sweet little girl!
Anyway, I stayed skeptical.
A cute photo is exactly what a scammer would send.
Obviously bait.
But hey, I went along with it. (coughstubbornhusbandcough)
When we got to the meetup spot, I told my husband I would stay in the car and keep the dashcam rolling, you know, just in case this turned into a true-crime documentary (sorry to be too wary and distrustful of strangers!!!). My husband went ahead and I watched his back, ready to pounce or step on the gas if necessary.
But then the other party stepped out of their car.
A family of four—the parents, and their two little kids—and the mom carrying a tiny, fluffy poochon in her arms.
Suddenly, all my worries and paranoia were blown away.
It wasn’t a scam.
Just a very small dog who had no idea he was about to change everything.
My husband got back into the car, carrying this tiny little pup with him.
Then he showed me… him.
That round, teddy bear face and cute puppy eyes…
I melted.
I didn’t exactly believe in love at first sight. But that moment, I found out it was a real phenomenon, lol. (Wait, sorry, I fell in love at first sight with Sachi too! xD)
We were not prepared, by the way. We didn’t have a crate, nor a dog seat in the car. So while we made our way home, my husband held Gucci on his lap and we had to stop by a Petco to buy the necessary supplies: dog bed, leash, etc. Gucci even peed on the counter when we were paying for his stuff, lol.
Then, we stopped by my best friend’s house since they were having a celebration. She was actually surprised that we showed up there with a puppy in tow, lol. But hey, she loved Gucci too! Everybody did, actually. 😛
We got home that night, and even the elders were surprised to see him. Basically, everyone in our immediate orbit was shocked (heck, I was shocked myself! haha!).
Gucci’s first night was protected by a makeshift gate built out of cardboard boxes. His first home was less “cozy puppy palace” and more “budget fort.” He tried climbing out of it, and he kept crying. So we stayed with him, until he fell asleep. We tried having him sleep on our bed too, but he ended up peeing on it, hahahaha.
Now for the part I held back before.
When Gucci came into my life, I was at my lowest.
I was struggling with depression, and there were days I came close to giving up altogether. My husband did his best to support me, but it couldn’t break through the dark cloud hovering around me.
I… didn’t feel like I had much to offer anyone.
But then came this tiny creature who needed me to feed him, take care of him, and show up for him every single day.
Somewhere in the middle of all that, I started to feel something I hadn’t in a long time: that I was worth something, and that someone needed me.
Gucci didn’t care about my shortcomings.
Or my flaws.
Or the mistakes or stupid decisions I’ve made.
One day, I was on the bathroom floor in the middle of a panic attack, crying so hard I could barely breathe.
Gucci stayed with me.
And then he started licking the tears off my face.
He doesn’t keep score of my failures or bad days.
He loves me the same whether I’m thriving or barely hanging on.
And for someone who spent a long time convinced she wasn’t enough…
That she would never be someone’s priority…
That no one would stick with her with all her flaws and shortcomings…
That unconditional love and acceptance has been life-changing.
Turns out my husband had been sticking around all along as well. Depression just made it harder for me to see that.
I’ve been open about my mental health struggles.
Now, I won’t pretend that a dog is a cure for depression.
I’m just saying that sometimes the lifeline shows up in a form you never expected.
A Craigslist listing.
A scam survivor’s skepticism.
A halfway meetup and a dashcam.
Turns out the priciest Gucci I ever bought and am still paying for was the only one that gave me something money couldn’t buy.
This is also a reason why I hate it when people say “oh, they’re just dogs.”
Because to me, Gucci and Sachi are not “just dogs.”
They are the ones who showed me that I am lovable just the way I am.
They are the souls of the children that were meant for me, only that there’s no human body available yet, lol.
So…
Happy early birthday, my dearly beloved Gucci.
I will always be grateful that you came into my life. 🐾
Note: If you are struggling, I want you to know that I see you and that you’re not alone.
Therapy, support, and honest conversations matter too.
Please don’t hesitate to reach out for help: you can call or text 988 in the US, or reach out to someone you trust.
