Marnie • Love Unconditional in Darkest Times

Hi, this is Ryan with Marnie, and let us tell you about our story on how Marnie helped to overcome one of the darkest times in my life. It has been hard for all of us being locked up at home for almost two years now. Life has indeed changed and during these times everyone should look after one another. Let me tell you about our tale this afternoon.

Marnie is our 5-year-old Shih Tzu and is the smallest among our pack of Shih Tzu. Originally we only had two dogs and were planning to breed them. When our dog gave birth to two pups it was impossible to part with them and heartbreaking. We abandoned the plan of breeding Shih Tzus and kept both of them instead.

I was at the office when our dog gave birth. My wife called me that our dog was giving birth and her voice seems to be in a panic as the last pup that came out was not breathing. This also drew me into a state of panic and I wanted to come home from work. My wife with help from our dog breeder friend did a miracle. She rubbed the puppy's chest with her fingers and after a couple of attempts, the puppy started breathing freely. We named her Marnie who is the smallest of our dogs.

Marnie has been attached to my wife since then. Always following her around wherever she goes and if my wife goes out, she always waits patiently by the door until her return. Marnie has her top four people that she likes. Whenever my wife is not around she comes to me, if I am not around she comes to my daughter and her least favorite is my son.

We made a bet and tested Marnie, four of us would call her to see who she goes to first. We did three tries and she goes to my wife all the time.

Don't be fooled by Marnie's cute puppy-like appearance. She is very protective when people visit and she would never stop barking aggressively. She is very small and you would like to pick her up the moment you see her. We always tell our visitors not to pick her up as I know she would bite people that she does not know.

We are not used to being confined at home but were forced to do so because of the pandemic. Last year I felt I was able to adapt to the changes and home confinement. Everything was normal until one night, I woke up at 2 AM and I was having trouble breathing. My wife woke up and we went outside to see if I could breathe easier outside. We couldn't go to the hospital, I felt my throat was closing up and I had a feeling that I was going to blackout. After a couple of minutes, I was able to breathe but still, I felt a heaviness in my chest. I was diagnosed with gerd that went out of control caused by stress due to the changes.

This has gone on every day for months, waking every 2 or 3 AM having trouble breathing. I would not be able to sleep once I wake up if I snooze a bit immediately I wake up and cannot breathe putting me in a state of panic. I was hopeless and felt that I would never feel normal again. I tried everything, changed my diet, tried to distract myself, went thru different consultations, full-body check-up which came out normal.

This led me to a downward spiral of depression. I gave up on everything that I used to do, photography, blogging, creating video content. I was just waiting for each day to finish. One night during one of my episodes Marnie peeked on the side of the bed. I was looking at her and she wanted to come up on the bed. I picked her up and set her beside me. As I was lying down she squeezed herself beside me as if she knows that I was going thru a lot. I hugged her and this gave me some comfort, I felt at peace and was able to go back to sleep.

When it was time to sleep she would always peek on the side of the bed and I would know that she wants to sleep beside me. I was still not feeling normal but Marnie helped me and gave me hope. Last year end of November I was completely out of the dark hole of depression, friends from the community here at hive gave their support, I was starting to take photos again, my family supported me and Marnie did a big part to help with her unconditional love.

We pay her with belly rubs and doggy treats which she loves. She is a part of our family and I can never bear the thought of not having her. If I feel down I just play with her and most of the time having her beside me is enough.

Most of the time at work it could get very stressful especially if you are already overworked. Marnie comes to my rescue and as my co-pilot. She keeps me calm and makes me think straight to complete the day.

She never leaves the room until I also get up and leave. Somehow I feel she is watching over me making sure that I am alright. Dogs are God's gift to man and we should love them as much as we can. They will love you and stay with you asking for nothing in return, unlike people who could stay angry with you for days or even years. They will stick with you thru the good times and especially the hard times no matter what.

At the end of my shift, we often play and I would talk with her, telling her how much we care about her. I give her all the belly rubs that she wants during my free time when she is beside me. If I stop she scratches her head with her paws which seems like she is asking me to continue with the rubbing.

Since then she has always slept beside me now. We even bought a bunny bed for her which you could see in the first photo. We put her to sleep on her new bed but at night she always climbs out and squeezes herself beside me. I am thankful that we have Marnie and I will always take care of her and keep her safe. She has done so much for me which I will be forever grateful for and etched in my heart.

Thank you for staying for a while to listen to our story. Please share your experiences with your beloved pets and family members with me. I would love to hear them and let's talk about our amazing fur babies.

Thank you again and hope to see you again soon.

All photos are original and taken with

Lumix GX85 and Olympus 45mm f1.8