Today, I wanted to talk about our four-legged friends.
When I was a kid I wanted a dog so badly I couldn’t stand it. My sister and I begged for a number of years to get one, only hear, “Ask your father,” or “I know who’s going to end up taking care of the pet when you lose interest.” So, I was forever that person who never had a pet. You don’t know crazy looks until you tell someone you haven’t ever had a pet. They reply with bulging eyes and say, “NEVER!?” Most will go on asking about individual types of pets because they, just don’t believe you. And I have to admit, once I was an adult I just didn’t care anymore. I was used to not having one and that was it. They became this kind of slobbering, smelly, dependent that cost a lot of money and kept you chained at home.
THEN I met my future husband. He’s a dog lover. I even think he would love cats, if they didn’t make him sneeze with watery eyes and lose lung capacity. He grew up with animals as pets, even a cat! So, I knew when we started talking about marriage I was, eventually, in for a pet of my very own. At first, I was resistant – very resistant. There were a number of reasons, but the very first was the cost. They are expensive and we aren’t exactly living in a huge house with a yard for them to run and play. What if it gets sick? We love to go away on weekends, will that have to come to an end? How much does a kennel cost? The questions went on, and on… so, he was patient and waited. Never said anything to pressure me or even make me feel guilty.
You know that worked, it’s this quiet magic he has. I knew he wanted one, didn’t push the issue, so I wanted to give him one. And last December I decided I was going to get him a dog for Christmas. It was perfect; he got sent out-of-town, las minute, on business, for the entire week before the holiday. That was plenty of time to find one and surprise him on Christmas Eve, when he returned.
What I found was that the quest wasn’t as easy as I thought it would be. Some of these shelters have an insane amount of paperwork, you pay a fee, and then you still might not get the dog and you have to wait a month! I was so overwhelmed by that and the sheer amount of animals that needed homes, that I gave up. It wasn’t the special surprise I wanted it to be, but I still surprised him with the news that I even wanted to look for one.
So, we started the search together and the next month we found our perfect little friend! It was so easy, but that’s another story for another post. Here are some pictures of my pal; he’s well-behaved, hardly barks, and loves to cuddle. His name is, Domingo. ♥
