I didn't want another dog. My husband and I have had dogs ever since we were married, many, many dogs. Our first was a black Lab named Ani. Hubby had equal amounts of love and hate for her. She was clumsy and dumb and annoying and completely lovable. She died the same day as my oldest was born. Mid-contraction we received a phone call informing us that Ani was hit by the school bus. It was devastating. Usually bringing a baby home for the first time makes your house seem fuller, ours did not. As happy as we were, there was something glaringly missing. Mix the loss of a pet with post-pregnancy hormones....let's just say my husband is a kind, kind man.
While pregnant with my second born, my uncle asked us to take in his American Staffordshire Terrier (a member of the "pit bull" family). We were apprehensive to take Malibu in because of the stereotype. He turned out to be a 65 pound slobbering, stinky, wimpy, completely lovable pup...with separation anxiety. When we went out one night he climbed up on a dresser and jumped out a screened window.
After Malibu passed we decided we were done with dogs until the neighbors' little mutt decided he liked our house better than his own. Nicky showed up on our front porch one morning when it was 40 below 0. had gone AWOL on his owners during their morning walk and they couldn't get him home before they had to leave for work. I let Nicky in and he slept in my warm kitchen until his "family" returned. When we brought him home they asked if we would just like to keep him. We politely declined. That summer we noticed him constantly sitting at the fence between our properties staring longingly at the children as they played in the backyard. He dug a hole under that fence and let himself right in one day. We brought him back and had a chuckle. The next day he did it again and we returned him..again. This went on for about a week. The last day Hubby tried to return him he had to pick him up and carry the dog like a baby. I had been a work and was driving home when I got a phone call that started with, "I know you don't want a dog but....."
In December our little Nicky was so sick we had to make the difficult decision to put him down and again we made the declaration we were done being "dog people." In fact, Hubby and I would talk so much about how we enjoyed being dogless it became as if we were just trying to convince ourselves.
I would scan the free classifieds every so often and my eyes would just fall to the "free to good home" section. I would look away and reprimand myself for being so silly.
"I have enough on my plate! I don't need an added responsibility...they're so much trouble." And so would go my internal dialogue.
I have been taught since I was little that nothing it too silly to pray about. So, I prayed, basically giving God a list of my preferences and saying if HE wanted me to have a dog He would have to fulfill them. I didn't want a puppy because I have no time for training. It had to be a smaller dog because our house is pretty crowded already. I absolutely did not want to PAY for one because I'm cheap. It had to be fixed already and have its shots because...I'm cheap. I did not want to acquire a dog whose previous owners and history were unknown to me. Finally, it would have to be "dropped in my lap".
Yesterday, as I was about to leave for work, I noticed my boss standing in my driveway talking to Hubby. (We're neighbors, it's nothing creepy). I met them there and Hubby greeted me with, "Want a dog?" I looked down and saw the cutest full-grown but small, house trained, neutered, vaccinated, FREE, friend-owned Pomeranian IN MY DRIVEWAY.
Folks, God does answer prayer. Quite specifically sometimes.
I told her I'd take the dog (at least for a trial run) but I was going to be late for work if I didn't leave right then. She told me, ""Oh, you better move it or else!"
I should have asked her, "Or else what? You'll dock me a dog?"
While pregnant with my second born, my uncle asked us to take in his American Staffordshire Terrier (a member of the "pit bull" family). We were apprehensive to take Malibu in because of the stereotype. He turned out to be a 65 pound slobbering, stinky, wimpy, completely lovable pup...with separation anxiety. When we went out one night he climbed up on a dresser and jumped out a screened window.
After Malibu passed we decided we were done with dogs until the neighbors' little mutt decided he liked our house better than his own. Nicky showed up on our front porch one morning when it was 40 below 0. had gone AWOL on his owners during their morning walk and they couldn't get him home before they had to leave for work. I let Nicky in and he slept in my warm kitchen until his "family" returned. When we brought him home they asked if we would just like to keep him. We politely declined. That summer we noticed him constantly sitting at the fence between our properties staring longingly at the children as they played in the backyard. He dug a hole under that fence and let himself right in one day. We brought him back and had a chuckle. The next day he did it again and we returned him..again. This went on for about a week. The last day Hubby tried to return him he had to pick him up and carry the dog like a baby. I had been a work and was driving home when I got a phone call that started with, "I know you don't want a dog but....."
In December our little Nicky was so sick we had to make the difficult decision to put him down and again we made the declaration we were done being "dog people." In fact, Hubby and I would talk so much about how we enjoyed being dogless it became as if we were just trying to convince ourselves.
I would scan the free classifieds every so often and my eyes would just fall to the "free to good home" section. I would look away and reprimand myself for being so silly.
"I have enough on my plate! I don't need an added responsibility...they're so much trouble." And so would go my internal dialogue.
I have been taught since I was little that nothing it too silly to pray about. So, I prayed, basically giving God a list of my preferences and saying if HE wanted me to have a dog He would have to fulfill them. I didn't want a puppy because I have no time for training. It had to be a smaller dog because our house is pretty crowded already. I absolutely did not want to PAY for one because I'm cheap. It had to be fixed already and have its shots because...I'm cheap. I did not want to acquire a dog whose previous owners and history were unknown to me. Finally, it would have to be "dropped in my lap".
Yesterday, as I was about to leave for work, I noticed my boss standing in my driveway talking to Hubby. (We're neighbors, it's nothing creepy). I met them there and Hubby greeted me with, "Want a dog?" I looked down and saw the cutest full-grown but small, house trained, neutered, vaccinated, FREE, friend-owned Pomeranian IN MY DRIVEWAY.
Folks, God does answer prayer. Quite specifically sometimes.
I told her I'd take the dog (at least for a trial run) but I was going to be late for work if I didn't leave right then. She told me, ""Oh, you better move it or else!"
I should have asked her, "Or else what? You'll dock me a dog?"
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