Emotional Support Dog Mia, by Susan Kharazi

There was a time in my life when I suffered from debilitating anxiety and depression. It eventually became so bad that I was barely able to leave my home. I’d always been a dog person and one day while scrolling through Craigslist, I spotted a very cute Yorkshire Terrier/Poodle puppy who was about to be homeless. Something about the picture spoke to me, and I think I also realized that it was time to get up and start moving. That said, this little dog lived in Oakland and I was concerned about driving up from Mountain View to get her. Luckily, my good friend Betsy stepped up and offered to go with me, providing much needed encouragement and support. 

Some Things Are Meant to Be

We met the family in a shopping center parking lot, and I felt a connection with Mia right away (before we even got out of the car). Remarkably, she seemed to feel the same way. She has been my emotional support dog and constant companion from the moment I brought her home ─ riding in her car seat, hiking in her little backpack, working with me in the garden, and sleeping next to me in bed. The fact that she’s full of energy has also forced me out into the neighborhood for walks, as well as to the schoolyard behind our home and local parks, where we’ve met (and made friends with) many other dog owners and their pets. The pups love each other, and they’ve all had a chance to play and be socialized together. 

Making It Official

Because one of my sons and his family live out of state, I need to get on an airplane to visit them. But after a lifetime of loving flying, it had become extremely difficult for me to do that. I knew that if I had Mia with me, I could handle it, but this meant that we needed to go through Service Dog Certification training so she could fly on my lap. We did this together in her first year and ever the trooper, she finished the course with flying colors and has been my travel buddy ever since. 

A Very Special Dog

Everybody loves Mia and Mia returns that love 10-fold. People’s faces light up as they greet us on our walks, and I’ve been told by neighbors when they say, “Come on. We’re going to see Mia,” tails start to wag. She is not only incredibly loyal and caring, she’s also very smart. We have a family of House Finches that nest on our patio every year, and recently one of the fledglings fell out of the nest into a bucket on the ground. Mia came to alert me right away so I could put it back in the nest. I wouldn’t have been able to save that baby bird if she hadn’t done that, and from her body language, I could tell that she knew it. 

Did I rescue Mia or did she rescue me? With this very special adoption, I think it’s clear that we rescued each other.