| Issue #50, March 23, 2007 |
Puppy Love
The Story Of A New Puppy With A New Owner
By Nancy Keeshan
Our family always had pets. How can you grow up on the North Fork without one? In fact, at one point we had two dogs, a parakeet, tropical fish, a hamster and of course, a cat. The hamster and the cat were mine. I loved them both, but hamsters are short lived. The cat was special. Her name was Robby. I named her for a boy I was in love with in the first grade. Anyhow, Robby was a red striped Tabby, a run of the mill housecat. I got her after my cousin’s cat had just one too many kittens. The rest was history.
She was not what you would call a social cat. She mostly kept to herself, and I never once heard her purr the way most cats do. She ignored the rest of the family and when anyone came visiting she would hide. Robby and I, however, had a bond. She sat only with me; slept on my bed and every so often I even got cat kisses. She made me feel special and the love affair we had lasted until shortly after I went off to college. At which time mom became her caretaker and she will now admit that she, too, loved the darn cat right until the last day. When I arrived home for school break day, Robby was gone and a chapter of my life was through.
Fast forward a few pages and after years of living a life of independence, with lots of freedoms, no commitments, I somehow got it into my head that it was time for my own pet. I bought a goldfish. I just called him simply Mr. Fish.
Well, the goldfish has taken on a life of it’s own, living in a 6 gallon tank in my kitchen. Don’t get me wrong, he is a remarkable fish, it’s just that a cold fish was just not doing it for me in the pet department. Somehow, I just couldn’t “feel the love.”
When out of the blue an even more seemingly hair-brained idea wormed its way into my head. I should get a dog. No, I don’t want to be the type that talks endlessly about their dog, buys it expensive sweaters and takes it everywhere...but maybe it could work.
Yes, it would be a real commitment, but it seems that every time I said the word, “DOG” to myself, it sounds better and better.
What really got me going was an amazing book that I finished reading a few weeks back, “Marley and Me.” It is a wonderful story about a man and his dog. It made me laugh. It made me cry. It got me thinking. This could definitely work.
All this being said, I took a poll amongst my friends.
“To get a dog or not to get a dog...that is the question.”
It’s a leap for sure. Most of my friends are “dog” people and they were very excited by the prospect of me becoming a part of the “dog culture.”
Yet, there were a few pessimists there in the mix, you know who you are, who say, “Are you crazy?” “It’s such a responsibility!” “You’ll be tied up for a good 15 years!”
These people scared the life out of me.
My parents were all for the dog idea, no big surprise, and what do you know, Christmas was just around the corner.
I waited. I would make no decisions. I would put it out there and let fate take its course.
Christmas arrives.
Everything was unwrapped. Hey, I got a few nice sweaters, new pajamas, a book, but, alas, no fuzzy face under the tree, no pitter-patter of four little feet at the house. Ho-hum, time to round up some new filters for Mr. Fish. But wait, one more gift, under the tree for me? It was a photo…… it was her, my dog...all two lbs of her. My puppy was waiting for me to take her home. The fates had spoken after all……that and my parents had taken a leap of faith.
Talk about feeling the love. As I sit and write this, my little pup is lying across my lap. I tried to put her down but she kept giving me those eyes. You know the kind.
That’s the love.
Getting a dog is a big decision, but one that if you are truly ready, you won’t regret. I found that it’s not like anything else. Sometimes you just have to go for it and you know what? Your life will never be the same. As John Grogan says in his book Marley and Me, “A dog judges others not by their color or creed or class but by who they are inside. A dog doesn’t care if you are rich or poor, educated or illiterate, clever or dull. Give him your heart and he will give you his. It’s really quite simple, and yet we humans, so much wiser and sophisticated, have always had trouble figuring out what really counts.”
If you are looking for a guide on getting a dog, pick up a copy of The Dog Bible by an East Hampton author Tracie Hotchner. It’s a great resource. Also pick up a copy of Marley and Me and perhaps it will change your mind as well. PS. I’ve already bought an expensive sweater and have been taking her most places with me.
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