One day, as I was scrolling through Facebook, I came across a post from a shelter in Michigan featuring a litter of puppies that had been abandoned on their doorstep. Photos like these pop up all the time, but this one caught my attention because one of the puppies was blind. Without hesitation, I reached out to the shelter, asking about him. At the time, my husband and I were in the middle of moving from an apartment to a house, so we weren't yet settled. I knew it was a long shot, but I asked if they might be able to find a foster home for him until we were ready to adopt.

To my surprise, they agreed. They were able to place the little blind puppy, then named Bubbles, into a wonderful foster home. At the time, he was around 10 weeks old, growing fast, and I was receiving daily updates. My husband, however, had no idea about my new plan and was blissfully unaware of how much his life was about to change.

Eventually, I had to break the news to him. His response? A firm "No." It took a lot of convincing and some tears, but eventually, he agreed—though not entirely. We compromised. I would travel to Michigan to meet the puppy and bring our cattle dog, Reina, along to see if they got along. Deep down, I think he was hoping Reina wouldn’t like him, which would make it easier for me to back out.

So, I set the date and drove to Michigan to meet this big, blind puppy at his foster home. The moment I walked in, Bear (as the foster family had started calling him) walked straight to me and plopped down in my lap. It was an instant connection. The foster family didn’t like the name Bubbles and had been trying out the name Bear instead, which, as it turns out, was perfect. About a month earlier, my husband’s childhood dog, Koda, had passed away. Koda’s nickname was Koda-Bear, so when I called my husband and told him the puppy’s name was Bear, he immediately softened.

The next question was, "How did he do with Reina?" To our surprise, Reina, who normally keeps to herself, immediately took to him. She started playing in the backyard with him, which was incredible—she never plays with other dogs. The moment my husband heard this, his response was, “Okay, we’re taking him home.” And that’s how Bear came into our lives.