Three months ago, I took a trip to 'the city' with my son, Jack. While there, we decided to make a stop at the pet store to visit the critters -- not to purchase a critter, mind you -- just to look at them. As we rounded the corner to the pet store, I noticed a patch of grass where a young couple had parked with their dog and her 12 puppies. Before I could think, I gasped and pointed them out to Jack. Of course, Jack begged me to stop. Not to purchase one, mind you.... oh, no. Just to pet one. Jack loves animals... when we had pigs, he named all of them and even rode them when they were big enough. He is a cat whisperer (I swear to God) and just seems to have a way with all creatures great and small.
Last October, we had to have our 13 year old Rottie-girl put down. Her name was 'Mandy' and she was the sweetest, most gentle dog I've ever met. She was enormous and, well.... a Rottweiler, but even our vet said that she was one of the most submissive dogs he's ever met. Our kids grew up with her.... Bridget learned to pull herself up from crawling to standing by grabbing great handfuls of Mandy-skin in her hands. Having her put down was the hardest decision I have ever made, bar none. In hindsight, we left it far too long. She was ready to go long before we were ready to let her go and I honestly wasn't prepared for just how painful it would be to say goodbye. I swore that I would not put myself through that ever again.....
Back to Jack and the puppies and 'the city'. As we approached them, I could clearly see that these fat little sausages had rottweiler blood in them. Jack snuggled them and loved them and smelled them and played with them and fell in love with a little boy-dog. I told him over and over that we were not getting a dog until a lovely little girl-dog wiggled her way into my heart. After calling my husband (Pleeaaassseee!!! You won't have to do ANYTHING) and getting the 'go ahead', I jumped in the car with Jack, raced to the bank to get the required amount of cash and raced back. The little girl I fell in love with was gone. The little boy who Jack fell in love with was still there. I did NOT want a boy dog and firmly believed that the little girl-dog being gone was a clear sign from the universe that I am not supposed to have another dog. However, when Jack looked up at me (with his very own puppy dog eyes) and said "But Mom, he chose me", I was a goner. I'm not sure who was more shocked at my 'Yes', Jack or me, but indeed, I did say 'Yes' and off we went with our new little sausage-boy-dog.
We named him 'Doc' because we all love the movie Tombstone and we especially love Val Kilmer's portrayal of Doc Holliday in it. It was also the ONLY name we could all agree on. Everywhere we go, people think we're yelling "Dog!! Dog!" when we call him, but somehow 'Doc' really does suit him and he often channels the mischievious, trouble-making spirit of Doc Holliday. He still has 'accidents' and it makes me crazy. We ('we' meaning my husband who wasn't going to have to do ANYTHING) built him a pen which he regularily digs out of. We live on a highway so this is a bit of a dicey situation. I have had moments of 'What the fuck was I thinking???" but overall, I have fallen in love with this little guy. As I type this, he is sleeping in my favourite wing-backed chair, snoring. Who knew? And... when I watch Jack on the ground with him, wrestling and laughing his head off, telling me that Doc is his best friend, I don't mind so much that I've had to rip out my carpet.
I wanted laminate anyway.
No comments:
Post a Comment