I have a love; his name is Draco Malfoy. He is NOT Harry Potters literary arch-nemesis. He IS; however, the clumsy but oh so lovable fur baby that I have kept as my favorite dance partner in this never-ending Yule Ball we call life, for the last 11 years. He is nearly 14 years old now, with ever increasing grey in his muzzle, and a lifetime of stories full of happiness and love that we both hold close in our hearts.
We met in an extremely overcrowded high kill shelter in Riverside, CA (which has since been re-located to a brand new facility that opened nearby in 2010), in March of 2006; not too far from my childhood home, where my parents still live to this day. He was housed in a cage with another such smallish-sized dog; Draco is about 11 lbs at his optimal weight. He was terrified and emaciated, his dark and dismal little cage had a tag on it which encouraged caution as he was labeled a biter. He cowered in the corner pressed up against the cage and the other dog I never got to know, but I hope found a forever home of his own. I was weary of a biter, but was specifically looking for a smaller dog, so I did a tour of the shelter but eventually came back to Draco and his cellmate.
My personal life at this time, was a bit of a mess, as it can lend itself to be. I had been dating Brandon Meyer; who was very passionate, bordering obsessive, and things between us were less than good. In my youth, a lot of the relationships I had were with individuals who sought to control me, but I have never been one who is able to spread my wings and flourish in an environment in which there is direct, overt, and overbearing control. If I recall correctly Brandon was seeking a band-aid solution for our relationship issues by suggesting a dog and a trip to the shelter. This is a solution I have seen attempted many times in many ways over the course of my relationships over the years; be advised, it never works.
Eventually fate led us back to Draco, who cowered in fear as I approached his cage and did in fact bare his teeth at me to let me know he meant business. It was at this point, that I felt something change inside of me, I felt a pull, a tug if you will; something that said: look at that poor little creature, all tough and ready to pounce out of a fear; unequaled, the likes of which that I will more than likely never experience, and with luck, that I could take him away from and prevent him from experiencing ever again. I felt a connection with this little vulnerable fuzz bucket, whose life had left him disappointed and in a sad circumstance of sorts that I imagine made him feel hopeless, helpless, and incredibly insecure. All of which I could relate to personally, since my HIV+ positive diagnosis in October of 2003.
I had been rebuilding myself and my life in the 2 years leading up to my encounter with Draco. I had lost my job, my home, and pretty much everything to my first round of crystal meth addiction in 2003, which culminated in my nearly joining the Navy as a Machinist on submarines and finding out I was HIV+. I had returned to the workforce with Starbucks, thanks to a good friend giving me a second chance, and I had re-dedicated myself to the brand and my desire to advance and grow within' its ranks; a journey which proved to ebb and flow with frequently stagnant frustration. I felt I was on the verge of a deep depression. In many ways, Draco saved me just as much as I saved him.
So I asked if I could meet with Draco, one on one, in one of the rooms the shelter had; so we could feel each other out and explore one another without the barriers of fear and confinement holding us back. Almost immediately after being brought into the room with me, he jumped up onto my lap (I was sitting), and started licking my face, I felt, in apology for the baring of his teeth upon our previous introduction. That was the moment, I knew he was MY Draco Malfoy, forever!! He was the soft, sweet, lovable Pupper-up with the squishy insides AND the rough and exterior to warrant a name like Draco Malfoy!! He was the one that was going to fill my longing for something more and mend the aching hurt in my heart which had lingered hot and heavy like a bad taste in my mouth for the last couple years; I had found a partner truer than I could ever imagine.
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