"AHHH” screamed my sister. I remember that scream as if it’s still echoing in my head 7 years later. I remember the day as clear as water when I watched my sister run for her life, run for her safety, run into my biggest fear. Ever since that one day watching my sister's face red as a tomato, sweat dripping down her face running from a big furry creature with yellow crooked teeth. I have never been the same when seeing a dog. Even making eye contact with any sort of dogs I immediately felt fear, stress, chills, all pouring down on me like a rainstorm. I started to feel as if I’m reliving that exact day, that exact moment. I started to wonder who would ever want this animal. Then one day in the hot summer air my family and I all sat down for dinner. The sun beaming down on us like a bright light. The grass flowing with the wind. The smell of warm hamburgers filled the atmosphere. 

We were all happily chatting about days of fun when all of a sudden my mom said ''what do u guys think about getting a dog”. 

DOG I thought to myself. I could feel my face turn as red as the ketchup on my plate. My legs started to shake like a rattle. My heart started to thump. That late summer breeze, the loud birds, the beaming sun, the loud bugs, the happy chatter turned into all but silence as that one moment flashed in and out of my head like a laser. This could not be real, I thought to myself. Dogs were my biggest fear I thought to myself. I tried to focus on the present time.

 My brother started to say “I have always wanted a dog”.

My sister then started to tell us a story about her friend's new dog and all of a sudden everyone agreed they had been wanting a dog. I kept quiet and nodded here and there but still was in panic. I didn't have the guts to say anything but really my whole body was in fear. We finished our dinner. I didn't talk as much after with thoughts flashing and filling up my head. 

The next morning my mom had already researched everything about which breed of dog to get, where we were going to get the dog and had already put our name on the list for first pick from the lidder. She was going on and on how in nearly 3 months we would have a new furry sibling. We talked about names and debated between Osker if it was a boy and Piper if it was a girl. I started to imagine a little soft golden brown puppy running around our house but I couldn't because my brain was going straight to what the fierce, mean dog looked like that one day it chased my sister. 

As I fell asleep that night I thought to myself, there is no such thing as cute little puppies. My brain was filling up with thoughts like “what if it bites” “what if it grows up to look just like the one that chased my sister” “what if it growls” “What if it jumps”. 

I woke up to the smell of sweet maple syrup and warm fluffy chocolate pancakes filling the atmosphere. I ran down stairs and saw my parents making breakfast. I heard the cracking of the steps as my siblings walked down the stairs. My whole family including my mom, dad, Cameryn, Talon and I all sat down for breakfast . I could feel the golden hot sun shining down on me and the summer wind flowing through the windows. 

When my mom said “today we will FaceTime the breeder and pick the puppy we want from the litter'' she said happily.

She was filled with excitement along with my brother, sister and my dad. I sat there thinking about the dreaded day ahead of getting a dog. Why does everyone in my family want this dog. How can they forget about that one moment? How am I the only one scared? 

My sister said “I think we should get a girl and name it Piper”. 

We all agreed and when we Facetimed the breeder we could see all the golden brown puppies with curly fur and blue eyes all laying closely together on a colorful rug . They all had different color collars on and the one we picked had a bright pink collar on. We all knew right away that this was the one we wanted. I couldn’t imagine that these were what dogs looked like. The only dogs I had ever seen were big, furry, shaggy dogs. As I fell asleep that night I thought about the day of getting piper, the day of a new family member, the day that I’m faced with my biggest fear. 

Ding,Ding,Ding my alarm echoed in my head. It was 7am and time to get a piper. This day came way too fast, the day of getting a new addition to the Estepp family has come. I threw on my clothes and brushed my teeth. I combed through my hair and started to shake. All of my emotions started to let out. I could hear the car rumble as it shaked the house and 

my siblings' excitement and chatter beneath me. I started to burn up like a fire. 

My mom yelled from down stairs “Are you ready Audrey”. 

I yelled back “coming”. 

I thought in my head No , I'm not ready. How could I be ready. The imagery from that one moment came into my head. I ran down stairs and got in the car. We were on our way. We all chatted about who would be her favorite in the family, who would feed her and who would take her on walks.

 When all of a sudden I hear the Ups Say “you have arrived at your destination”. 

My heart dropped and my stomach filled with butterflies. My muscles started to tremble and chills went up and down my body. I stepped down on the concrete and started to walk, forcing myself to take one more step. The door felt like it was miles away. In front of me I could see a big white farmhouse. All of the windows had box’s underneath them with purple, pink and yellow flowers springing out. 

When we all got up to the door a nice lady came to the door. She was wearing a white fluffy coat and blue jeans. She said “are you guys here to get Piper” 

We said yes and she brought her out. She handed me the puppy and all of a sudden my shivers started to go away, my stomach felt normal, and my heart was steady. The puppy licked my hand and I knew right away this was the right puppy. As I looked down at her I couldn’t believe this was real, her golden soft fur glistened in the light. Her bright pink collar sat perfectly around her circled neck. I ran my fingers through her curls as her furry tail wagged happily as she looked at all of us. That one dark, scary moment was replaced by what was in my hand. I couldn’t imagine that this was what some dogs were like. We all took turns holding piper and headed home. As I looked outside the sun was starting to hide behind the white fluffy clouds , I thought about all of my fear over the long 3 months of waiting to get our new puppy. I realized that just because one dog was mean doesn’t mean they are all. My sister handed me Piper and her glossy bright blue eyes lit up the day as she put her tiny head on my shoulder . The amount of comfort, safety and calmness poured down on me. I sat there as my siblings were staring at Piper with a big smile on their face. I thought to myself Dogs really do bring happiness into people's lives. I now realize why everyone gets dogs. I realized that I wasted a long 3 months worrying about this day and it ended up being one of the best days of my life. The lesson I learned is to trust other people, my family would not put me in a position where I was in fear all my life. They knew that I would love this animal. This was the first time I realized that dogs are part of your family and the first time I have gotten over my biggest fear.