To #littlestaffymia On Her 3rd Birthday

Dear Mia,

We know it doesn’t quite make sense to write you a note on your birthday, since you’ll never read it, but we’re those kind of dog parents. It’s so hard to believe you’ve been a part of our lives almost 3 years! We’ve known about you since you were 2 days old, and we never quite anticipated the adventure, the craziness, the joy, the love you would bring into our lives. Whether you know it or not, you’ve taught us so much. It seems weird to say that a dog has taught us life lessons, but then again maybe dogs are some of the best teachers. You’ve taught us to love unconditionally, and accept people for who they are. You never back down from a fight. Even if the odds still seem stacked against you, you’re willing to fight for those you love, fight for what you want, and you never give up. You’ve taught us that too, Mia. And we’ll keep fighting for our dreams, like our little “fight dog” and never, ever give up.

We love your loyalty, your ability to never hold a grudge even when we have to leave you in your box all day on a wedding day. We love the fact that you’ll go to great lengths to protect us, even if that means you wake up growling in the middle of the night and freak Alyssa out. And thank you for protecting us from the UPS guy, even though we keep telling you he only brings presents and he doesn’t want to hurt us. You are the world’s best comforter, the best listening ear, and the best secret keeper. You always seem to know when it’s been a rough day, or if one of us needs to vent. And you just sit there in our laps, or curl up next to us on the couch, and give kisses as only you can give.

You never, ever run out of energy. Especially if there’s a squeaky toy or sock involved! And you’re always happy! You’re incredibly smart (we even have to spell those trigger words like walk, go, eat, trip, and bone, because you know them all), and we love that head tilt when you’re trying to figure out what something means. You get excited about the littlest things, and we know it’s because that’s how much you love life. We love seeing that tail wag when we tell you we’re going on a trip, or if we tell you to go find your rope. We love making you happy, playing with you till you spread out like a frog on the hardwood floor to cool down, and love having you curl up on our feet when we don’t want to turn the heat on quite yet.

Mia, we couldn’t be more thankful for a dog like you. You’re such a joy to have in our lives, and we love you so much, even if you can be a little high maintenance. We love our little baby girl!