So I tried to adopt a dog today. Actually, it was a puppy. It’s two weeks shy of a whole year since we lost our dog, Uno, and we’re finally feeling ready. Just one more reason to love spring.
Note, however, that I said tried. Turns out the woman in charge of the rescue organization that I happened to be dealing with was rather. . . passionate. I’m fairly certain that my friends who adopted their children last year actually went through less questioning, inspecting, and paperwork than this lady was going to about to throw on us.
If you read this blog, you know I love dogs. I practically lost my mind when Uno died. It was like having my heart ripped out, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom style. My aunt and our good friends just had to put their dogs down, and it’s sort of killing me to watch them all go through it. They talk about breaking down in tears when they’re picking up the last of the dog poop in the backyard, and I remember doing the same thing. I remember not vacuuming for a really long time (we won’t talk about the exact number of days) because I knew I’d be getting rid of the last of his fur. You do some bat-shit (or dog-shit) crazy things when you’re sad. . .
So I get it. Dogs are important and you want them to go to good people. And then you want those people to treat them well. But when someone starts lecturing me on raw meat diets and the harmful effects of walking dogs on pavement and the possibility of rattlesnake attacks while exploring sagebrush bushes, I start to get a little tense.
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| Photo by Alex Bruda |
My ultimate fantasy was to knock the kids off their feet by surprising them with a dog for Easter, but that’s starting to look like a logistical impossibility. If only that dang Easter Bunny weren’t afraid of dogs then maybe he could help me out. But I guess with the whole raw meat diet thing catching on, you can’t blame a guy for being overly cautious.
Tammy Soong is a writer, wife, and mom from Reno, Nevada. She takes an absurd amount of pain medication, but not enough to have actually named her children "Newt" and "Elfie." She spends most days stressing out over clutter, writing stuff for this place, and working on podcasts with her gal pals, the Blogging Betties.
Oh my goodness! Wish that had gone better.
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I've seen a lot of that. Seems like some people would rather the animals would stay in shelters. Makes me not want to try to rescue animals.
Oh no–is that aunt the person I know and love? I knew it was coming, but it's still just so devastating. It'll be a year May 5 since I had to let Ernie go, and I miss him every day even though I have the two other dogs.
Go back to the rescue place and just grin and bear it and nod a lot. Tell her you'll hand-feed the dog and let it sleep on your bed. They'll never know.
Ha…I almost brought home a puppy last weekend from the petsmart rescue people outside…"Here fill out this form, foster him this week, you can bring him back next Sat. if you think it won't work out." Seriously, I had to walk away and go eat lunch before I came to my senses…The dog was hubby's domain to pick. So we went yesterday to a breeder and put a deposit down on a Chocolate lab puppy, whom we get in 5 more weeks. The family called me on my arbitrary rules of oldest must be 5 youngest must be potty trained.
Oh my gosh – are you freakin' kidding me? Someone was questioning you about caring for a dog? Uno was so well cared for (dare I say, better than the children – I can 'cause it's me). That is ridiculous. That woman is never going to place any of her precious pooches! Good luck friend….I'm glad you are ready.
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Seriously! First time out of the gate and I run into that.
I know. I just keep telling myself the universe will provide.
That's kind of how I felt about her. She puts a lot of "urgents" on her adoption lists, but it sure doesn't seem like that's true.
I would go back, but seriously, this woman would be knocking on my door, asking for visitation.
Puppies hold the unfair advantage of cuteness. It's how they survive.
Thanks.:( I know, if she only knew how much we loved him.