Photo By Staff Sgt. Erin Piazza | Senior Airman Jillian Shell, 494th Aircraft Maintenance Unit supply technician, and...... read more read more
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RAF LAKENHEATH, United Kingdom - Ted discreetly dug the squeaker out of his plush toy as his family described how he came to rule the house.
The constant presence of Ted by his family's side serves as a reminder of the companionship he offers when one of them is gone, either at work or on a deployment. Since picking him up at a humane society, Senior Airman Jillian Shell, 494th Aircraft Maintenance Unit supply technician, has loved him, which is why he was her first thought when she contemplated joining the Air Force.
"When I went to join the military, the first words out of my mouth were, 'I don't know if I can do it because I don't know what I would do with Ted,'" explained.
"Luckily you had me, huh mate?" Mikal Shell, Jillian's husband, asked Ted as he leapt up onto Mikal's lap for some attention.
Ted's story began on Dec. 29, 2008, when he was born. Jillian was a senior in high school and she had gone to pick up a kitten from a humane society, but instead came back with two little puppies that could fit into the palms of her hands, "like little hamsters" as she described it. Ted and his brother Baxter were expected to grow no larger than seven pounds, but now, at just under 15 pounds, Jillian and Mikal say they couldn't imagine their lives without Ted.
Originally, Jillian bought Ted and Baxter with an ex-boyfriend, but, when they split, he kept Baxter and she kept Ted.
"It was good to get them separated, honestly," Jillian explained. "I hated it at the time, but I'm glad it happened because Ted really blossomed once he was on his own."
The cheese-factor of her own words amused her, but she stood by them. When Ted and Baxter had been together, Ted had always been happy enough to let Baxter soak up the attention while he contentedly snacked on a bone. On his own though, Ted became a regular attention-seeker and Jillian's relationship with him grew. A few years later Jillian met Mikal and Mikal met Ted.
"I met Ted in the summer of 2009," Mikal began, before Jillian interrupted him.
"That's a lie, it was 2010!" Jillian corrected.
"The summer of 2010, are you sure?" Mikal questioned.
"Yes, because that's when we met!" Jillian assured him.
"So, summer of 2010 I met him," Mikal continued as though he hadn't skipped a beat. "He was about a year-and-a-half old. Jillian likes to say I didn't like him, but that's not true."
Mikal admitted he'd always been more keen on larger dogs.
"I didn't fall in love with him at first, is kind of what I'm saying," Mikal admitted. "But we were forced to hang out anyway because we had the same mutual friend, [Jillian]."
Three years later, by the time Jillian was ready to leave for basic military training, Mikal and Ted had grown quite fond of each other thanks to five-mile long runs together and weekend visits to Mikal's college apartment. Thankfully, Mikal was able to answer the question of what Jillian would do with Ted while she went to BMT and on to technical school. Mikal and Ted spent the freezing winter together in Michigan, without Jillian, strengthening their bond even further.
In 2014, when Jillian and Mikal got married, of course Ted was a part of the ceremony.
"Everybody loved him," Mikal stated matter-of-factly. "He stole the show at our own wedding. He was definitely the best dressed."
Ted wore a black bow tie during the wedding that Jillian had ordered because there had never been a doubt he'd be a part of the ceremony. Mikal and Jillian both explained they'd never even really needed to discuss it.
Fast-forward a bit, and Mikal found himself and Ted alone in England after Jillian deployed.
"I'm not one to get lonely easily, but she left for six months and I was in a brand new country," Mikal said. "I had just gotten a job, and I didn't really know anybody. Ted's the best company I could ask for. I get along with him great. He really is like my best friend. We talk smack to each other, he's not too sensitive; there's a lot of good things about Ted."
Ted offers companionship to Mikal when military duty calls Jillian away for long periods of time, but he also lifts Jillian's spirits during the week when gets home she barely gets to see Mikal because of opposite schedules.
"We spend a lot of time apart, especially during the week, we don't even really see each other," Jillian explained. "I get home, and Ted's just crazy excited to see me, and that's awesome. It's nice when you get home and he's just so happy to see you he's bouncing off the walls."
The Shells plus Ted are a family.
"I've always been obsessed with Ted," Jillian said. "It was me and him from day one, and then Mikal came and got to know him and he got obsessed with him too."
"Then we became the three musketeers," Mikal said, echoing Jillian's sentiment. "He kind of makes us a bit of a family I think, because he gives us something to adore together, something to love together."
| Date Taken: | 02.12.2016 |
| Date Posted: | 02.12.2016 11:49 |
| Story ID: | 188745 |
| Location: | RAF LAKENHEATH, GB |
| Hometown: | CHELSEA, MI, US |
| Web Views: | 63 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Portraits of Love: Man - and wife's - best friend, by SSgt Erin Piazza, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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