Four legged festivities
2006-01-24

Today is Puppy's birthday. He is six in people years, which I guess makes him middle aged in doggie life. We wouldn't get him for another 9 weeks after his birth. I hope his life before us was great, but I suspect it was not. Some things you just know...
He was born on a farm (mill?) in Indiana. We found him in a puppy store up the street. I never have bought an animal from one of those. They have bad reputations, but this was different.
My previous golden Fred had died a month or so before and we were both still in major mourning. On most days, I know better than to even walk into a puppy store, but it was next to the boat place and we had time to kill. It was an impulse, or maybe fate.
We were just walking around the store checking out the cuteness when somebody shoved this squirming bundle of yellow fluff in my hands. I didn't ask for him, didn't say a word and suddenly I was in full puppy contact. Who can resist?
He didn't try to get away, he just looked me in the eye and then licked me right on the nose. I had to get rid of him soon, so I handed him to M.E. She'd be the strong one.
Instead of putting him back in his crate, she took him to that little room where they were allowed to run around. When he put his little paw on her leg and looked her straight in the eye like Fred used to do, she was hooked. It was a sign.
We were tough enough not to buy him that day, but for the next week, all she talked about were puppy names. By the way puppy, if I hadn't put my foot down, you might have been named Regis. You can thank me later. After a week of listening to different names while trying to go to sleep, I had had enough and went back to the store hoping he was still there. He was....
She knew something was up right away, and when she heard the clatter of his paws on the tile, she freaked. Then she calmed down and held him for most of the rest of the night. They bonded.
There were moments when she wanted to kill him. When he chewed thru the legs of her kitchen table, she put him on the front steps and told him to run away. Of course he sat there looking pretty and never moved a muscle. There was then night when she was cleaning his crate at 2:00 am and was bent over on all fours and he stepped off the bed and walked right in the middle of her back to see what was going on. She didn't know if she should laugh or cry, and decided to laugh and woke me up to share...
They are best pals now and it would be hard to imagine the house without him. Yes he hogs the bed and still occasionally eats stuff he isn't suppose to. He can drive you nuts with his damn assortment of balls and constant desire to play fetch. Yes he doesn't like to be ignored and still pushes the newspaper away with his head when you are doing something stupis like reading where there could be scratching or petting going on. One friend said he would leap into the jaws of death to protect her and I believe he would. Of course, when something really scary happens, he hides behind me. After all, it is my pack.
In short, Happy Birthday Puppy. I hope there are lots and lots more happy years together.
Love you,
me
me

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