Canine-Cupid and Piles of Puppies
My hubby didn’t know he was a dog person. So when the topic of bringing home another companion just two months after adopting “Arubacat” Dazzle from Sgt. Pepper’s Friends came up, he needed a nudge.
I have always been a dog person. I am also a cat person, a horse person, a bird person, I’d probably even be a goat person, if Penny Lane lived in California.
Luckily, I had already been to our local rescue organization the day before I asked my hubby to join me there.
I had snuggled little warm noses, received a hundred wet kisses, and fallen in love at least 15 times. I had even spoken to volunteers about opportunities to help and reviewed with them, again, why I probably couldn’t take every animal home this time.
There were real needs and responsibilities to consider, of course. A dog doesn’t use a litter box. A dog needs walks and can’t just stay inside all day. Don’t dogs and cats hate each other? How will we manage it all with our three-year-old daughter at home too?
But I had to wonder, since we’re responsible adults with a great support system would any of these things truly be hurdles if we were tangled up in puppy-love? I could only hope that Canine-Cupid had an arrow for us today.
When we got there, my hubby entered the hall of dogs with resistance, remained a bit distant and was clearly determined.
He and I ducked into a few of the rooms, I sat with squirming mounds of furry little loves and continued to search his eyes for an answer. Nothing yet.
I was at least grateful he gave this a chance.
At some point, he took a thoughtful walk down the shelter corridor. I could tell he was still chewing over the details of walks and poop and dog versus cat versus kid.
At least I could still volunteer.
He stood for a few minutes in front of one of the windows until I joined him. One little face stared back at us. She was a wiggly little girl with flopped over puppy-ears and black and tan markings.
“Well, that one’s kind of cute.”
“Yeah?” I asked, as I tried to decipher his interest, “Yeah?!”
We went in. We sat down. And from there it was like a slow-motion greeting in a romantic comedy. She looked at him, he looked at her. Within minutes they were playing, he was laughing and I was sitting back taking it all in.
“Uh-oh,” he said.
We both smiled, he had been struck.
We later brought our daughter to the shelter to pick up our new family member, Tina-Paloma. Walking through the same corridor we had hours earlier she bounced between rooms, her face plastered against the glass doors screaming “Look Mama, piles of puppies!”
Clever Cupid got her too.
The car ride home was quiet. Our puppy snuggled into my daughter’s lap and my hubby drove with a smirk on his face, a bit bewildered over what had just happened.
With all the happy hearts in our little car, all I could think was “Good dog.”
That’s the magic of rescue. While the logistics and daily tasks associated with pet ownership always exist, it’s not about tolerating a furry roommate, it’s about allowing a tiny little heart to open yours.
It’s about allowing ourselves to be surprised with joy, love, compassion and understanding from the warmest of companions.
Imagine if we all just allowed ourselves to look, to consider the possibilities, and sometimes to press our faces against the glass and lay smiling with piles of puppies on the off chance we might fall in love.
@positive.pixie