2023 GUNNER EFFECT WINNER: VIDEO
Words by Gloria G. | As told by GUNNER
Alberto, my three year-old aussiedoodle, is the greatest blessing of my life. I don’t say that lightly; three years ago I was given the chance to bring him home and now I can’t imagine my life without him. Everything I ever needed to know about love I learned from Berto.
Shakira, my Wirehaired Pointing Griffon pup, joined us earlier this spring. They’ve become fast and furious best friends, getting into all sorts of trouble together. They are the most honest and loyal companions. Sometimes I wish I could bottle up their love and hand it out to every human; I truly believe their love could cure all the world’s sorrows.
Shakira may be the one training to be a hunting dog, but both she and Alberto are my fishing buddies. Alberto is a seasoned expert on the river, and Shakira is following in his footsteps. The day after this video was filmed, I took her fishing again and she jumped into the water and went for a swim; she is a natural! I pinch myself everyday, I just can’t believe it is all real.
Dogs understand that love is limitless, that there is no scarcity of it, and they aren’t afraid to show it. My pups wear their hearts on their sleeves, and they inspire me to do the same. I’m often reminded of the Jack Johnson lyric that says, “Gives me kisses on the lips just for coming home,” and it perfectly encapsulates Alberto and Shakira. It doesn’t matter if you’ve been gone for five minutes or five months; they’re always excited to see you and they never take any of it for granted.
I’ve always known that Alberto is a once-in-a-lifetime dog and I didn’t know what it would be like to have a second dog join us. But they’re both once-in-a-lifetime dogs in different ways. I never knew I could feel so loved and I never knew I could be so loving, but to witness the love grow between Alberto and Shakira is the greatest joy of all.
