Because DOGS!
When I was young, every year I would ask for a dog for Christmas and year after year, Santa didn't come through. I absolutely loved dogs; my Grandma had a poodle named Tina and I always said she was my dog because she loved me best. When I was at Grandma's, I was playing with that dog. The first year I didn't ask for a dog something incredible happened.
My Dad came home from work one December day and announced, "We're getting a dog." I was struck dumb. Mom was not happy. Dad had been to a friend's place and they'd gotten a Shih Tzu puppy and for some reason, Dad really liked it. He got the name of the breeder and reserved a male puppy. He told me it would be my one and only Christmas present and it could have been my last present ever because I was over the moon; I WAS FINALLY GETTING A DOG!
We traveled to Delano, MN on a Saturday to pick up the puppy and as soon as I saw the little tiny brown and white bundle, I was in love. The pup was so young he didn't have any teeth, he was full of energy and he was so damn cute it made my heart melt. We named him Murphy.
We brought him home and Mom nor my brother were thrilled. My sister and I were giving him a bath in the laundry sink and he was shivering and my Mom saw and said, "Oh; the poor little thing is cold!" Yup; she was sucked in within hours. The first night, my sister went to work and my parents went out so I was upstairs with the pup and my bro was downstairs. I had the dog on my chest and was chatting with him when my bro came upstairs and asked, "Who are you talking to?" And I told him I was talking to Murphy. I put Murphy on the floor and he trotted over to my bro and sat in front of him waving his curvy little tail. The bro scratched his head and said, "He's kind of cute." Sucked him in to the puppy vortex, too!
Murphy was a pretty spoiled little dog. When we had Thanksgiving dinner, he had Thanksgiving dinner. When Dad had ice cream, Murph had ice cream. He was never supposed to sleep on the bed. He slept on everyone's bed. That boy was so loved til the sad day we had to say good-bye. He lived a very happy life.
I got my second dog right after I moved into my first home. I knew that I was going to get a dog again because I'm a dog person. I called a number in the paper and it was fate that the breeder was in my parent's home town. I reserved a male Shih Tzu and a friend and I went out to get him. When the furry little black and white bundle came running out of the breeder's house, I fell to my knees and scooped him up. This was my little Otis and I was instantly in love.
To say Otis was special is an understatement. That dog loved everyone and everyone loved him. He was personality plus. It was like he'd been made just for me. When Otis was 5, he went blind and I was devastated. Otis just took it in stride. Unfortunately, he ended up with glaucoma in one eye and had to have that eye removed and then eventually had to have the other eye removed but it didn't change him at all. He got around like he could see and he was still a happy little bugger. He adored my parents and they adored him and he even adored everyone at the vet's office and they always looked forward to seeing him. As Otis got older, he had more and more health problems until I couldn't let him suffer anymore. Saying good-bye to Otis nearly killed me. The vet and I cried together as I held him in my arms and he took his last breath. I knew it was the right thing to do but my God; it hurt. I then knew what a broken heart felt like.
I couldn't bear the loneliness and the heartbreak of losing my sweet Otis so I reached out to the breeder and she had a litter of pups ready and I reserved a male pup for me. I picked up Mauer Thomas 10 days after saying good-bye to Otis.
Mauer and I had a rough beginning as I was used to my sweet, docile Otis and Mauer was a spitfire. At night, he wouldn't sleep and he was a biter. One day I actually said to him, "I think I need to give you back!" He was a brat! Even getting neutered didn't calm the little effer down! But as time went on, he got a little better but he's still a spitfire. He will backtalk me if I tell him "no" and gets into trouble a lot but the boy has personality. He loves the vet's office and they love him. He loves his Grammy and she loves him. His Papa he only has time for if there's food involved and if Grammy isn't around. He loves people in general but other dogs not so much. He loves to snuggle and loves being outside in any weather. He really is a good boy...for the most part.
I've already decided that Mauer will probably be my last dog at least for a while. I know you're saying "Yeah, right!" but I mean it. I've been lucky to have three freaking awesome Shih Tzus but sometimes you need a break. My mind may change on the sad day I have to say good-bye to my Mauer Thomas but who knows.
The unconditional love a dog gives is one of the sweetest joys in the world. They don't want anything from you but your love and they give it back many times over. There really is nothing better than coming home from a long day at work and being greeted by that sweet face and wagging tail or when you're feeling down and they just know you need attention and make sure to be there for you. A dog is just a special gift.
My Dad came home from work one December day and announced, "We're getting a dog." I was struck dumb. Mom was not happy. Dad had been to a friend's place and they'd gotten a Shih Tzu puppy and for some reason, Dad really liked it. He got the name of the breeder and reserved a male puppy. He told me it would be my one and only Christmas present and it could have been my last present ever because I was over the moon; I WAS FINALLY GETTING A DOG!
We traveled to Delano, MN on a Saturday to pick up the puppy and as soon as I saw the little tiny brown and white bundle, I was in love. The pup was so young he didn't have any teeth, he was full of energy and he was so damn cute it made my heart melt. We named him Murphy.
We brought him home and Mom nor my brother were thrilled. My sister and I were giving him a bath in the laundry sink and he was shivering and my Mom saw and said, "Oh; the poor little thing is cold!" Yup; she was sucked in within hours. The first night, my sister went to work and my parents went out so I was upstairs with the pup and my bro was downstairs. I had the dog on my chest and was chatting with him when my bro came upstairs and asked, "Who are you talking to?" And I told him I was talking to Murphy. I put Murphy on the floor and he trotted over to my bro and sat in front of him waving his curvy little tail. The bro scratched his head and said, "He's kind of cute." Sucked him in to the puppy vortex, too!
Murphy was a pretty spoiled little dog. When we had Thanksgiving dinner, he had Thanksgiving dinner. When Dad had ice cream, Murph had ice cream. He was never supposed to sleep on the bed. He slept on everyone's bed. That boy was so loved til the sad day we had to say good-bye. He lived a very happy life.
I got my second dog right after I moved into my first home. I knew that I was going to get a dog again because I'm a dog person. I called a number in the paper and it was fate that the breeder was in my parent's home town. I reserved a male Shih Tzu and a friend and I went out to get him. When the furry little black and white bundle came running out of the breeder's house, I fell to my knees and scooped him up. This was my little Otis and I was instantly in love.
To say Otis was special is an understatement. That dog loved everyone and everyone loved him. He was personality plus. It was like he'd been made just for me. When Otis was 5, he went blind and I was devastated. Otis just took it in stride. Unfortunately, he ended up with glaucoma in one eye and had to have that eye removed and then eventually had to have the other eye removed but it didn't change him at all. He got around like he could see and he was still a happy little bugger. He adored my parents and they adored him and he even adored everyone at the vet's office and they always looked forward to seeing him. As Otis got older, he had more and more health problems until I couldn't let him suffer anymore. Saying good-bye to Otis nearly killed me. The vet and I cried together as I held him in my arms and he took his last breath. I knew it was the right thing to do but my God; it hurt. I then knew what a broken heart felt like.
I couldn't bear the loneliness and the heartbreak of losing my sweet Otis so I reached out to the breeder and she had a litter of pups ready and I reserved a male pup for me. I picked up Mauer Thomas 10 days after saying good-bye to Otis.
Mauer and I had a rough beginning as I was used to my sweet, docile Otis and Mauer was a spitfire. At night, he wouldn't sleep and he was a biter. One day I actually said to him, "I think I need to give you back!" He was a brat! Even getting neutered didn't calm the little effer down! But as time went on, he got a little better but he's still a spitfire. He will backtalk me if I tell him "no" and gets into trouble a lot but the boy has personality. He loves the vet's office and they love him. He loves his Grammy and she loves him. His Papa he only has time for if there's food involved and if Grammy isn't around. He loves people in general but other dogs not so much. He loves to snuggle and loves being outside in any weather. He really is a good boy...for the most part.
I've already decided that Mauer will probably be my last dog at least for a while. I know you're saying "Yeah, right!" but I mean it. I've been lucky to have three freaking awesome Shih Tzus but sometimes you need a break. My mind may change on the sad day I have to say good-bye to my Mauer Thomas but who knows.
The unconditional love a dog gives is one of the sweetest joys in the world. They don't want anything from you but your love and they give it back many times over. There really is nothing better than coming home from a long day at work and being greeted by that sweet face and wagging tail or when you're feeling down and they just know you need attention and make sure to be there for you. A dog is just a special gift.
Comments
Post a Comment