Purchased from an American Akita puppy mill at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas in December 2013.

She was the only female in the litter of five. I like to think I saved her from a life of constant birthing.

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I removed her from her pack at seven weeks old. Because she is a large, primal dog breed, I needed to socialize her extensively with many other types and sizes of animals and people. I respect the history and legacy of Akitas.

I would always call establishments and businesses before visiting their facility with Zoe. We could not go anywhere on time—everyone would gravitate toward her and want to know her. She is literally a MY BUDDY doll that helped me bring down social barriers society has imposed on each other.

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She gained half a pound per day between four and ten months. Zoe kept the same face throughout her life since six months of age. When walking her, from afar she would look like an escaped zoo animal—way too big to be on a leash and walked by a person.

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She brought the best out of everyone she met. She also struck fear into the hearts of the wicked. Those folks would cross the street to avoid passing by her, because they knew that she would know all their wickedness.

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I was an owner/manager operating a franchise after-school math tutoring business between 2010–2015. Zoe was acquired for the purpose of being a petting prize to the accomplished and hard-to-motivate students of that school. She would greet children and parents when they walked in. She would escort them to their notebooks and workstations. We would vote as a school on which trick we would be training her to do each week.

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Zoe knew how to play paddy cake. She would give high fives. She would stay away until asked to join. She maintained a minimum level of collective noise throughout the school. She would mimic other kids’ noises and head gestures.

If I were distracted with speaking to new parents while the instructors and students learned aloud, Zoe would howl to silence the progression of loud noises emitting from the school. Sincerely, she was the most assured and calming animal ever.

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She was 90 pounds and stood at 25" from her shoulders to the deck at her first year. I would take her out to various dog day dates with older male dogs. She gave those old dogs a new lease on life. This young, capable, beautiful exotic bitch would breathe new life into them. Zoe would have six male dog role models in her life. I shared her with everyone everywhere. We would organize charity photo shoots with Zoe for calendars.

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During one of her many visits to Danny Jackson Dog Park near the Galleria in Houston, Texas, she rescued a helpless Chihuahua from the blue water hole they have. This smaller dog had caught its collar on a sunken branch in the water. The dog struggled to get free, dog paddling in place. Other dogs just watched from the edge of the water hole, looking at this dog fight to free itself. The human pet owners were yelling for help, but no one wanted to enter this blue water hole for dogs at this park. Zoe heard the chaos from the opposite side of the park. She came running to the water hole, walked around the circumference while watching the small dog thrash about. Then she entered the water, her entire body submerged—only her curved tail, nose, and ears remained dry.

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She bit with her mouth on the tree branch attached to the dog’s collar like a tortilla chip. The little dog was set free and swam to shore. Zoe walked out, her white fur body colored blue by the water hole solution. The small dog and she shook water off themselves. They smelled each other in the face, and Zoe ran off back to where she came. The crowd of people said, “Aww,” and the crisis was averted.

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That is my Zoe. She did that at one year young.

Ultimately, Zoe would lead to the next love of my life. I met my wife while walking dogs. My wife is a longtime animal rights advocate. She volunteers religiously for dogs and cats. During this courtship, Zoe would be there to give her strength and love to all who gathered near her. My wife and I foster parented 1,000 animals in five years together. Zoe helped train and groom hundreds of timid puppies and kittens for their future forever home.