"What do you mean I am the pack leader?!"
Yes, I have found myself with two new additions to my family. What was once a doggie duo has now become a doggie quartet and I have had to learn what it means to be a pack leader. The start of this new adventure was truly, disastrous! I was THE worst pack leader in the world and they all new it. But let's start at the very beginning….
My doggie days began twenty five years ago when I moved to Las Cruces, New Mexico for student teaching with the possibility of a job opening up in December. Sure enough, the position opened and...I was hired as a middle school choir director! I was so excited, but a little lonely for family and friends. My first Christmas after I started teaching my family gave me THE cutest puppy ever, I named her Pumpkin, and the journey began. I was so excited but….I KNEW NOTHING ABOUT CARING FOR A DOG! And, I was sure I was going to kill her by negligence and lack of knowledge. My Dad took me back to Las Cruces and helped me set up everything for my new little bundle of love and energy. We bought a baby gate so that I could keep her in the kitchen and off of the carpet when I wasn't home. As we left her in there with her puppy pee pee pads, a bed, toys, water and food, we went out to the grocery store for a "trial" run in the kitchen. As we left, she howled and yipped and yapped and told us she was MAD, MAD, MAD! It made me cry…but I left for the store. When I returned, there she was at the door, waiting for us, wagging her tail proudly as she had "defeated" the baby gate.
It was then that my journey into the realm of being a doggie mom began and I have loved every minute of it! Pumpkin made me laugh and gave me a joy I had never known before. If any of you have given your dog a bath, you understand the CRAZY dance that happens after the bath and while they are wet! There is NOTHING funnier :)
It's interesting that Pumpkin taught me the simple joys of life: a nap in which she would lay against the back of my legs to say, "I'm here with ya Mom!", a walk each evening when it had cooled down and she loved to travel with me. Pumpkin knew when I packed her crate, she was going on a journey with me. She loved to ride in the back window of my Buick Skylark to sun herself as we traveled from Las Cruces to Albuquerque. And Pumpkin loved going to "Grama's" house and seeing her cousin Samantha. She understood all the words when I said, "Do you want to go to Grama's house with me?" Additionally, she and Samantha played for hours and "helped" Grama in the yard! My mother was a saint and has loved all our pets dearly. Mom bonded with Pumpkin as she and Samantha helped her through her battle with Stage IV breast cancer and provided Mom much love and support each day.
Pumpkin was with me 20 years and crossed the Rainbow Bridge in the fall of 2010 and truthfully, I was heartbroken. I had never experienced a loss as great as this one. She was my confidant, my angel of mercy and grace, my joy, my happiness….and she was gone.
You know, I had always prayed that God would allow me to hold her when she went and I was granted that wish. I would rather have held her than to have lost her to an accident or worse yet, if she had gotten out and never came back. The thought of that was worse than doing something loving when the time was right. It was something special to hold her in my arms as they gave her the night night shot all the while telling her I loved her.
Our vet is something special as he comes to our homes to give the night night shot -
He is a SAINT!
For days afterwards I was a mess while she was at the pet crematorium. I took a day off from teaching to mourn my little girl and was relieved when they called to let me know she was ready to be picked up. I drove quickly to get her as I had missed her more than I could have imagined. When I walked in to pick her up she was in this beautiful tin covered in Daisies…my favorite flower! No, I did not choose her tin, fate did and "she" was right on! As I slipped the tin with her ashes into my purse, I was instantly relieved - it was cathartic to have her ashes. It's funny because I knew she was gone, but it gave me comfort to have her at home and at rest - odd maybe, but comforting for me.
You know, I had always prayed that God would allow me to hold her when she went and I was granted that wish. I would rather have held her than to have lost her to an accident or worse yet, if she had gotten out and never came back. The thought of that was worse than doing something loving when the time was right. It was something special to hold her in my arms as they gave her the night night shot all the while telling her I loved her.
Our vet is something special as he comes to our homes to give the night night shot -
He is a SAINT!
For days afterwards I was a mess while she was at the pet crematorium. I took a day off from teaching to mourn my little girl and was relieved when they called to let me know she was ready to be picked up. I drove quickly to get her as I had missed her more than I could have imagined. When I walked in to pick her up she was in this beautiful tin covered in Daisies…my favorite flower! No, I did not choose her tin, fate did and "she" was right on! As I slipped the tin with her ashes into my purse, I was instantly relieved - it was cathartic to have her ashes. It's funny because I knew she was gone, but it gave me comfort to have her at home and at rest - odd maybe, but comforting for me.
Little did I know that my journey was just beginning and that three weeks later I would meet my new little sunshine.
Little did I know that two years later I would foster/adopt a puppy with a cherry eye and meet a wonderful rescue organization that I am so happy to be a part of.
Little did I know the next year I would find a chug puppy on Facebook and also foster another dog all within a week !
My journey is in full swing with some new avenues ahead of me. I'll have more "tails" (ha ha!) to tell, but for now I am off to love on the fur babies and embrace this pack leader thing!
Peace :)
Little did I know that two years later I would foster/adopt a puppy with a cherry eye and meet a wonderful rescue organization that I am so happy to be a part of.
Little did I know the next year I would find a chug puppy on Facebook and also foster another dog all within a week !
My journey is in full swing with some new avenues ahead of me. I'll have more "tails" (ha ha!) to tell, but for now I am off to love on the fur babies and embrace this pack leader thing!
Peace :)
