It's been days, weeks and months and from what I've read -- this is no way to write a blog. Trying to recapture some of that time with memories is like snatching at parts of a dream, now you see them now you don't. Since my last post life brought a gift my way. I know it may be hard to believe but Dave sent me a present. DD is her name and there are numerous reasons why I know he had something to do with it. He was a very frugal man, recycling long before the word was invented, he didn't like to spend money unless he had to. Well this little gift was free, not only that but she had all her shots and a microchip, and the woman who bred her walked into my kitchen carrying her. My friend Bev supplied me with leash, dog food dishes, and a crate. All of this happened because I mentioned to a neighbor that I was thinking of getting a small dog. It was like poooffff and there she was three days later. The first few weeks of puppy ownership did not go well. The pup (seven months old) was not house broken, she chewed on everything, would not come to me, and was terrified of loud noises and other dogs. I was stomping around in the snow waiting for her to pee. I had to shovel a place for her, and to be on the safe side I was putting newspapers down on a rug near the door. I was afraid I was becoming one of those old ladies whose house smelled like pee and disinfectant. Gratefully that has not occurred (Yet). Today after living together for two months I can proudly say that things have changed. She comes (most of the time) when I call her name, she does her business outside (most of the time), she has chew toys and loves to play. The rug is washed, newspapers gone. We are working on her fear of other dogs, but she loves people and wants to say hello to everyone we meet. Then one morning around the middle of January I bent over to pick up the ten pound Carin Terrier and saw a piece of paper stuck to the bottom of my shoe. I peeled it off and there was a picture of Santa Clause and one word - Dave- written across the top of it. And I knew in my soul that he had sent the dog. Since then we have bonded, she understands me and I look at her with love in my heart. It could be a coincidence, but I can still hear his words, "The next dog we get will be delivered to us. We won't have to go looking for one, it will come to us."
I think about all the animals our family has had as pets over the years. Noah the German Shepard, Buffy the long haired mixed setter/lab, Tar a sweet mutt, Dulcie a Portuguese water dog / Poodle mix, a horse named April that I adored and rode for fifteen years, cats Scup, KC, Princess, Fluke, and then the many small animals like hamsters, parakeets, bunnies and of coarse a few laying hens (until a raccoon got into the chicken coop). And now DD to finish the list. I can understand not having a pet. When Dulcie died Dave and I decided not to have any more - "unless it comes up the driveway to us," he said. We lived a few years without pets. It was easier, there was no demand on our time, the house was cleaner, and having no responsibility is definitely a good feeling. On the other hand I can now legitimately talk to myself, I am forced to walk and I find I enjoy it, the other side of the bed isn't empty, and I have a being that needs me. When I balance the scale, it tips to the positive side. Remember the Wizard of Oz? Judy Garland who played Dorothy had a dog named Toto. Well Toto and my DD look like twins, and my mother named me after Judy Garland- just more coincidence. Looks like this little Carin Terrier is here to stay, thanks to my neighbors, my friends and my guardian angel.
