memories

As I went to the pet store today to pick up some things for the new puppy I was reminded of when my Rudy was a pup. Rudy's full name is Rudolf because he was born in December and being half Chesapeake, half Chocolate lab, he had a redish nose. I hadn't planned on getting a puppy when I did, but I fell in love with him almost immediately and knew he needed to be a part of our family.

The person who had the puppies was a genius because these adorable puppies (13 in all) were about 3 precious weeks old when she volunteered her house for the staff Christmas party. Turns out 4 puppies got a home that night. The mom of the puppies was the Chocolate lab and because she only had 10 nipples, she could only feed 10 at a time (can you imagine - I thought one was tough). Anyway, this meant that there really wasn't enough milk to go around, so the puppies had to be supplimented with baby bottles and puppy formula. Could you watch your 7 year old son hold a brown, furry, blue-eyed bundle of sweetness, while feeding it a bottle and then tell him, NO, we can't have a puppy? Neither could I, so in January we brought Rudy home.

Rudy turned out to be a great deal of work. You may have heard that puppies are more work than human babies and I would agree that's true for the 1st couple of months. At the time I did not live in a house with a fenced-in yard which meant that I had to take him out, on a leash, in the rain (I live in the Northwest and winter here means rain, rain, and more rain), in the mud, in the cold, in the dark, and wait for him to do his business. Sometimes this was a simple task and other times it was a torturous task, in which I would finally give up and go back inside only for him to 5 minutes later have an accident on the kitchen floor. Thank goodness for linoleum and hardwood!

Let's not forget that puppies LOVE to chew! And chew and chew and chew! Even though I did know this and had plenty of "OK to chew toys and treats" this did not stop him from chewing shoes, toys, underwear, coffee table legs, the cat (if she stood still long enough), molding off of a door frame and many other stationary things! Why do they chew? Because like human children they are teething and like human children who will lose their teeth on the school bus or while eating chicken fingers, they too will lose their teeth. So every now and then I would be sweeping up to find little puppy teeth dispersed amongst the cat hair and dust bunnies.

So it's good to spend some time reflecting on the challenges but there are many joys to raising a puppy as well. No one will ever be happier to see you when you come home, even if you are only gone for 10 minutes. This phase doesn't last for a few months, it lasts for the life of the dog. My dogs are now 3 1/2 and 4 1/2 and treat me like a celebrity every time I walk in the front door. The unconditional love of a dog is uncomparable to any other creature. Let's face it, kids grow into pre-teens and teenagers and all of a sudden you go from a superhero to the village idiot. There are even times when your devoted spouse may find you annoying or just better to avoid. Best friends may not call or will cancel lunch dates. But not dogs, they are always ready and willing to spend time with you, go for a walk, curl up on the couch and watch a movies, or follow you from one end of the house to the other just to be near you no matter to what your mood is! I am not a morning person but my dogs are there to lick and wag, it doesn't matter if I'm elated or depressed, their only desire is to be right by my side.

So that brings me to this last story. When Rudy was about 3 months old, I had a sinus infection and was pretty sick. I had gotten up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom and felt dizzy. Well I passed out and woke up on the kitchen floor and who was laying right beside me with his head in my lap? My Rudyboy. I love that dog (and his sister, but she is a whole different blog)! I know I have room in my heart for a new puppy and even though it will be hard work, I can't wait.



I will leave you with this (tongue in cheek - cause I love my kids more than life)


"Dogs and cats are better than kids...They eat less, don't ask for money all the time, are easier to train, usually come when called, never drive your car, don't hangout with drug-using friends, don't smoke or drink, don't worry about having to buy the latest fashions, don't wear your clothes, and don't need a gazillion dollars for colleges, and if they get pregnant, you can sell the children."
~ECBRC newsletter V. 15, Iss. 12