From the day I came home from the Hospital, I was greeted at the door with slobbery smooches from my new puppy sister. Her name was Molly. Molly was an active, fearless, loving, strong, healthy, happy, and beautiful black Labrador Retriever. She was my first furry friend. She was my greatest companion for the first 14 years of my life. Growing up with Molly, I learned to care for her by giving her medications when she needed them, feeding her twice daily, grooming and cleaning her, playing daily fetch, giving her lots of unconditional love, and of course picking up her poops. Molly passed away about 8 years ago. She was about fourteen years old when she took her last breaths, but you would have never known by watching her play in the lake. The day she left us for heaven, she had suffered a heart attack doing the one thing she loved the most - playing fetch with a green tennis ball up at our summer lake home. Ever since that day around 8 years ago, I have been seeking out ways to get my "puppy fix" by walking, loving, caring for, and playing with other family members and friends' dogs, until I am at place in my life where I can one day have another furry friend of my own. My experience of growing up with Molly and other dogs in my life has taught me the skills to read non-verbal communication, sense, and understand a dog's physical and emotional needs; organically connecting to their desires and feelings. From the bottom of my heart, I LOVE to care for, play with, hike, jog, and take long adventurous walks with a furry friend. Growing up as an elite athlete myself, going for runs and being active outdoors is a strong love of mine, and adding a dog companion to the mix gives the activity the full experience.