As far as I remember, my mom and I had always dreamed of a Doberman, and on my 13th birthday, we finally decided we were ready for this new member of the family 😌.

Like everyone always says, we went JUST TO LOOK at the Doberman puppies, just to know what to expect… but, well, you already know the rest 😅.

As soon as I entered the room, these little devils spinning around didn’t stop for a second while I tried to sit down, even just on my knees. All of them—every single one—except for one.

She slowly walked up to me from the far side of the room and calmly placed her paw on my knee, looking straight into my face, not distracted by anything around her. And it hit me—almost immediately—it hit me.

She chose me.

Honestly, I thought it might be a bit different, but that worked perfectly for me ☺️. Her name—Ellie—was already in my mind, so when the owner said that all puppies in this litter had names starting with E, I was pleasantly surprised 🤯.

From the very first trip to her new home, and every trip afterward, she clearly and consistently indicated everything that bothered her and gently hinted at her dissatisfaction ALWAYS, even though we knew she actually enjoyed the trips 🤣.

From a young age, she was very jealous, empathetic, and literally involved in any commotion. She had to be part of every conversation or gathering, would step between people who were arguing or loudly talking, and would sulk if she didn’t get enough attention (this isn’t in the breed description, but every Doberman owner discovers it themselves).

In short, a true star of every gathering ✨.

Despite her size and appearance, no one could guess that she was terribly afraid of the dark 😅. So we always had night lights on for her (her personal ones, if anything) whenever we weren’t home ☺️.

It’s been more than a month since she passed, but we still haven’t turned them off.

She was part of the family and showed that appearances can be deceiving because the only “threat” from her was a barricade of toys she brought everywhere and an endless demand for attention wherever you were in the house 🤍.

She left an infinite number of beautiful memories and brightened countless dark days simply by being there.

It was love at first sight—and love for her entire life and mine.