“I’m just a dog, standing in front of a couple, asking them to love me!”
Meet Myla Contino, a three-year-old, female, Golden Retriever rescue. Those were Myla’s exact thoughts when Leah Polakoff and Chris Contino were window shopping at the Delaware Valley Golden Retriever Rescue. Out of all the dogs they could rescue, Myla crawled into their laps and chose them. They fell in love with Myla immediately who was a stray from Puerto Rico. Her tail was amputated because of heartworm and other diseases. The rescue said she was around 3 years old and had recently had a litter of puppies. Not the case…Myla had not even reached her first birthday yet.
Sounds like love at first sight, but that runs in the family. Leah and Chris met by chance one day after college. Chris was an instructor at a Cross Fit Gym in Allentown, Pennsylvania, and was getting prepared for teaching class. The only person who showed up was Leah. She had him all to herself…and that’s how it’s been ever since.
She was just a girl, standing in front of a boy, asking him to love her.
It didn’t take long for Chris to pop the question and they knew they had to include Myla. Their engagement announcement included a photo shoot at Longwood Gardens with Myla wearing the announcement “My humans are getting married.” Family and friends loved their social media post, and it went viral.
So, the wedding planning began and at first, the guest list was for 180 people, caterer, location, flowers, music, photographers, and everything was planned. Then the pandemic hit. What to do? Well, they didn’t want to wait so they went to plan B.
Leah’s mom volunteered her home in Forest Hill and the wedding was still on. They downsized to 50 people wearing masks and bracelets with the words “Spread Love Not germs.” They used the same vendors but simplified everything. Myla was the flower girl and she had quite the schedule – an overnight at Best Friends Fur Ever the night of the rehearsal dinner, getting a spa treatment to primp, getting the floral headpiece to match the bridesmaids’ bouquets, and actually walking down the aisle to be with Mom and Dad. Myla was so content during the actual vows she just chilled in the fenced-in yard by Leah’s side and munched on bugs and grass. What else would you expect? Myla hammed it up for the cameras along with Mom and Dad and stayed for the beginning of the reception. Of course, there was a Daddy-Doggie dance when Chris and Myla danced to “Blue-Eyed Girl” just like they did every night before dinner in the kitchen. Myla came back to Best Friends for a few days while Mom and Dad enjoyed a mini-moon. Remember, it was still Covid.
Myla loves coming to Best Friend’s when Mom and Dad get away for the weekend, gets frequent spa services being the girl that she is, and plays with her friends at daycare often because both parents work right around the corner from our Cockeysville campus. She can often be found running up to 6 miles on nights when Leah is training for half-marathons. And even though she is soon to be 4, Chris still loves to pick her up like a baby and cuddle her while singing. Myla also has another best friend. A cat named Stella Marie. How did this happen? You guessed it.
I’m just a cat, standing in front of a dog, asking her to love me.
