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Thursday, March 8, 2012

Catwoman Takes a Dog!

I have always had cats. I seem to be a cat magnet. They find me and know just how to approach me to be assured they will be taken inside, fed and spoiled.

How, you ask, would a certified cat lover be able to lose her heart to a small, stinky and yappy dog? Let me just say, it was by degrees. You know...Like how you fell in love with your kids, because, let's face it. They stink. They turn your life upside down. They want to eat when you want to sleep, and vice-versa. You have to spend all your money on them and more than that...all your time.

I'll start at the beginning: I was having a day with my younger granddaughter, who is great fun to run away with. Shannon and I had been having an adventure and were at the Sonic, where we had just loaded up on large ice cream shakes. We were headed across the parking lot when two teen girls came walking toward us holding this tiny little black puppy. And my lovely Shannon said, "Look at the little puppy." She said it in that tone of voice that conveys such intense want and need that the grandparent is forced to respond. Shannon, of course, reached for the puppy and the girl, of course, handed it to her. <sigh!> See where this is going? I called my daughter and described said puppy and she replied, yes to Shannon's request. So when I dropped my granddaughter off, she was with pup.

Very shortly after that, I was with pup. Daughter and family live on several unfenced acres and small pup required frequent walking. Pup was also prone to chew...not on anything specific, but on everything she encountered. After listening to much complaining, I heard the news that they planned to take her to a shelter because she was just too energetic and was wrecking their household. <sigh!>

Let me just say that my daughter is a very smart person and she's known me all of her life. She knows all my hot buttons and how to punch them with great finesse. Yes, I drove out to the boondocks and back, said puppy in tow. I told myself, "Don't get attached. You have a full time job and work long hours. Dogs are not self-sufficient like cats. Just find a nice home for this little beastie. That was the plan.

I shopped for her. We have toys. We have small tennis balls. We have a Frisbee. We have a braided rope toy. I have to take her out in the fenced back yard to potty and for me to give her some exercise (and me as well) I have to throw her toys. She is so small that she trips when retrieving a regular Frisbee. And her energy level is endless. Side note: Her one trick is to fetch. This is because she has learned that if she does not bring the thrown object back and drop it at my feet, I will go inside. No, I do not fetch.

All this time, I kept telling myself, "I'm too old for a dog with this much energy. She needs a family with a six-year old boy to play with her."

The first thing I did was to invest huge wads of cash in small yappy dog. I paid for a year of vet care at Pet Smart which included all her shots and spaying and free visits. That was a chunk of money to invest in a free dog.  The vets fell in love with her and so did the very handsome young vet-tech who kept referring to her as my "Little Girl" and telling me stories about his "Little Boy".  I swear, Dog People are twice as crazy as Cat People.

It was on one of her visits to Pet Smart that I made a startling discovery. I was leaving Pet Smart one sunny afternoon on my day off with small dog on her leash. A thirty-something daddy was walking across the parking lot with a cute little boy about 6 years of age. My dog went into her adorable act and the little boy fell on his knees to pet her. It was love at first sight. The dad said, "That is the cutest little dog." To which I replied, "Want her?" The dad got down on his knees and was very agreeable to taking her right then and there. This was exactly what I had been praying for. Right in front of me, the very fulfillment of the prayers was manifested.

And then my dog turned and looked up at me with her little beady eyes. Those little beady "I love you" eyes.

Oh my God!!! I LOVE HER! I gave myself a pep talk about how this was the perfect opportunity to rid myself of this little pest forever...but she gazed up at me with such love and trust, and furious tail-wagging. I took a deep breath and picked up MY dog before wishing the man and his son good luck in finding a suitable pet. I got in the car and just held her for a long time before starting it up and driving us home.
~JD Faver 

23 comments:

  1. Well, that made me tear up this morning, thanks. ;) What a wonderful love story. I'm a former cat person - we had three, for around the twenty year mark, but as they declined, we added two crazy labs to our family. Now it's just my hubbie, me, and the dogs...oh, and we are "expecting" our third "little boy" at the end of this month. Three huge labs. How did we get to this?

    By degrees. :) Enjoy your little girl!

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    1. I used to think the cats painted some invisible sign on my gate...and it must have said roughly, A Cat Fool Lives Here. Well, now I'm a dog fool too...
      *hugs*
      ~JD

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  2. What a sweet story, J.D. I'm in love with your puppy now, too. The saying is true: Be careful what you wish for. It can come back to bite you in the butt.

    Jane

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    1. I couldn't help but wonder, since the man and boy were just cut to order...God does work in mysterious ways. And I honestly didn't realize I loved her until that moment. Duh!
      *hugs*
      ~J

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  3. Oh, you have me in tears! Love your writing style, must meet you some day!! I have MOJO a rescue, 24 lbs, who stood on his hind legs and smiled until I noticed him. We love him and I know how you FEEL!! Hugs! jink willis

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    1. I love how they know who they want to belong to. Thanks for letting me know I'm not the only Dog Fool in the world.
      *hugs*
      ~J

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  4. Thanks for sharing such a heartwarming story. My own puppy at 5 weeks and a day, ran out from under her mother's legs where she'd be standing with her litter mates, and jumped right into my daughter's lap. There was nothing to do but dig the check book out of my purse. My husband had a fit! Twelve years later and she's HIS dog now.
    :)
    ~Rose

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    1. Rose, you are a sucker after my own heart. And it's funny how those little critters can win over the ones most determined not to love them. Glad your hubby has HIS own dog now.
      *hugs*
      ~J

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  5. They do have a way of worming their way into your hearts, don't they? Cute story, June.

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    1. Thanks Miriam!
      They do figure out how to own your heart. I just got finished drying her off after a run in the rain. I have a big towel right inside the door just for doggie drying. She thinks it's for doggie loving.
      :-)
      ~J

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  6. Dogs know what buttons to push even better than our kids do.

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    1. I don't know about that...My kids have a PhD in running mom. But this little critter is so exuberant she just can't be stifled in any way...like learning to walk on a leash. Thankfully, she only weighs 9 pounds. Otherwise she would jerk my arm off. I got one of the leashes with a runner cord so its not too bad. At least, I'm resigned to it.
      Thanks for stopping by, Alan.
      *hugs*
      ~J

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  7. Yep, the eyes will do you in every time. I feel for you. Still, sounds like your puppy knew who she really needed in her little life.

    Have fun with her.

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    1. You know, my very wise daughter said something like that. I remember saying, "I just don't need a dog in my life." To which she replied, "Maybe she needs you."
      Turns out, I was wrong. I think I did need her.
      *hugs*
      ~J

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  8. Oh, yeah, dog people ARE crazier than cat people. My mom dresses up her dogs (to their utter humiliation), spends big bucks on toys and chew-things. Certifiable. :-)

    You've been victimized by a cute face. It's happened to me a dozen times. Puppies are God's greatest inventions, and there will never be a day when a puppy can't own my heart just by walking into the room. Puppies make everyone happy.

    I can't blame you for loving her.
    Thanks for sharing!

    Michele Hart

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    1. Thank you, Michele. One of my friends brought over a Halloween costume for my dog. This is such a goofy puppy, she didn't have the sense to be humiliated. And whatever she does that makes me shake my head, all she has to do is just jump up and wag all over with that ridiculous grin that only doggies can manage, and I fall in love with her all over again.
      *hugs*
      ~J

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  9. I suspect that puppy knew who she was going to end up with all along:) I have never been snared by a dog, but all my cats have "found" me, so I get it. A great story, BTW!

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    1. Thanks, Eloise! It is wonderful how they "find" you. Like some great and mystical dating service. I'm so glad you've been found.
      *hugs*
      ~J

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  10. June, I can identify with you completely. I, too, was a cat lady until about two years ago. Our Foster, a 16-month-old mini Australian shepherd, lifted me from a deep depression. As I tell people, cats are good about commiserating with you in your pain. But a puppy, you just can't stay depressed with a puppy. Too much love to receive from him, too busy taking care of him.
    My cats, only the other hand, feel that I have infringed upon their civil rights which, they tell me, guarantees them the right to live in a dog-free environment.
    I say, "Sue me."
    As long as lawyers don't understand cat speech, I'm safe.
    MM

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    1. I totally understand how a puppy can lift you from depression. And you're so busy caring for them you don't have time to care for yourself. My cats do not like this little interloper at all. And you're right about their attitude, or I should say cattitude.
      *hugs*
      ~J

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  11. Dogs and cats are amazing creatures. They fill the house with their personalities, and can change your entire life! The older I get, the more I like my pets... or am I their pet?? It's hard to tell sometimes. Not that they're spoiled....:)

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  12. I hate to tell you, my dear Will...You're everyone's pet. Glad your pets are spoiled. Me, I carry my elderly cat in to her food, and stand there telling her how good she is while she eats it...twice a day. Yeah, being a pet in the Simon and Faver household is a good thing.
    *hugs*
    ~J

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  13. Love this story, J.D. You're only a wimp when it comes to your pets. :)

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