CLEAR ENOUGH?
Somewhere in the middle of all the little pets (read the two preceding posts here and here), my husband arrived home one day to say that he had just come from the SPCA and they had some really nice dogs.
Say what? This is the guy who kept telling the kids, “You’re not getting a dog, stop asking for a dog.” When I questioned his sudden turn-about, he explained that the girls were bigger and he wanted a dog to protect them. I love dogs, and I was not about to argue with that logic.
If nothing else, the ensuing experience was worth the look on my two younger daughters’ faces the day we took them for a car ride and “just happened” to end up at the SPCA. The youngest was a little bewildered when we parked, until the middle child exclaimed, “We’re getting a dog!”
We adopted Majick, the black lab. She was the right size, and she walked beautiful on leash. She seemed to be perfect for a family with children. It seemed odd that anyone would give up such a beautiful, purebred lab, but who was I to question it?
But we didn’t know that Majick was docile because she was sick. Our vet said it was distemper and prescribed antibiotics. Majick got better, but then her true personality came out, and it was not a good one. She had obviously been abused at some point in her short life and had become somewhat aggressive because of it. My youngest was terrified of her.
The end came on the day that I was sitting in my chair reading the paper, and Majick came up and butted me with her head. I told her to get down. She did. But she sat there, thinking, with a strange light in her eyes. A few minutes later, she butted me again, more forcefully. I told her to get down. She did. The light in her eyes became a flame – and she lunged. I caught her in mid-flight towards my throat and dragged her out the side door into the yard, where she stayed until the next morning – at which point, I took her back to the SPCA. I lied and said she was too rambunctious for my young children – I didn’t want them to put her down because I thought maybe, just maybe, with the right owner she could be retrained. But that owner wasn’t going to be me.
That experience terrified me. We decided – no more dogs.
So, why did I suddenly take my middle daughter to the SPCA a few months later “just to take a look”? We happened to arrive at the exact time that a new litter of puppies was being brought in. People were swarming – those puppies would be adopted within minutes. I frantically called my husband, who was working, and begged him to let me adopt one. The SPCA claimed the puppies were shepherd/collie mixes – certainly big enough to grow into a watchdog, right? Hubby caved, and we adopted our Morgan.
We soon discovered that Morgan was a border collie/toy shepherd mix. The vet said she would grow up to look like a dingo (he was sooo right).
I worried about Morgan as a puppy – she was feisty and an ankle-nipper. Given a command, she would think about it, and if it made sense to her, only then would she comply. Memories of Majick haunted me. There were times I thought I would have to return Morgan to the SPCA.
Until the day, she tried the same stunt that ended Majick’s residence with us. Morgan jumped up on me, and I told her to get down. She did. But she sat there eyeing me with a certain gleam in her eyes. Then she butted me again, more forcefully. I told her, more forcefully, to sit. She sat … and she stayed. I petted her with tears in my eyes and told her what a good puppy she was – I knew she would be a good dog after all.
However, hubby was unhappy with Morgan even though he loved her. He wanted a big dog. A few months later, he came home from work and said he had called our vet and had the name of a reputable German Shepherd Dog breeder not too far from us. I cried – I was NOT giving up my Morgan. He assured me we were simply getting a SECOND dog.
And so, we purchased our Riggsie. I don’t remember Riggsie ever causing any problems as a puppy, probably because Morgan took over part of his training. If he did something bad, she would nip his heels or his butt. She loved to jump on top of him – until the day she jumped on him in the yard, and he simply stood up, and there she was on his back, feet hanging down on either side of him as he pranced around the perimeter. At six months, he had already grown to three times Morgan’s size.
Riggsie did his job. He became a really big, intimidating looking dog. If he stood on his hind legs, he was taller than me. The joke in our house was that when my girls began dating, those young gentlemen would have to make friends with Riggsie first. Some boyfriends did, some didn’t.
Eventually all pets grow old and leave us. It is very hard to lose a pet, no matter how small or big. For a short period of time, we had an empty house – the children all grown and gone, and only fish to keep me company.
And now we have Puppy Cody – the star of this blog. You can read her adoption story here, if you have not already done so.
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Would I do it all differently if I could go back in time? Probably not. I loved each and every one of the critters who have lived in my home.
How about you – will there be any four-legged living presents under your tree this year?
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I love to hear from my readers. You may comment on this post, comment on my Facebook or Twitter pages, or email me at cordeliasmom2012@yahoo.com or notcordeliasmom@aol.com
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Images by Cordelia’s Mom
Cordelia's Mom, Still 
Glad the others turned out well and fun.
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Thanks.
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Likewise, our pets have all been loved and they leave such a hole when they pass away. They are all special for different reasons.
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I know you understand. Hopefully, Maggie is getting back to normal now?
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We all slept very well last night, warm and comfy on the bed, though she got off and slept on a blanket I’d put on the floor for a little while before getting back up. We are still giving her a full dose of painkiller (have another 4 days supply) in the morning, but she is bright and waggy, so I think she is well on the mend. She hasn’t appeared to worry her stitches, the vet is taking out every other one on Friday then the remainder next week as the wound is so long. Thanks so much for asking.
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Oh what a heartfelt story. And no there will not be more legged gifts for this Christmas. We have enough, thank you. Thank you for sharing this story. How sad what some people do to animals which to be truthful with you, makes my blood pressure rise. I have a few rescues that when rescued had been horribly abused or neglected. It took years for those cats to trust me. Anyways … great write, my friend!! Love, Amy ❤
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I felt bad having to return that dog, but my kids had to come first. I can only hope that they were able to retrain her and get her into the right home.
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Yes your kids do come first, my friend. I sure hope that this poor dog found another home and that these people were able to address his problems. ❤
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NO dogs, said Garry.
Well, he said later, just one.
Okay, we can have that one there (Divot), he said. But no dogs in the bedroom
Later he said, No dogs IN the bed.
Shortly after that he said, Just not under the covers.
Not long thereafter, I came home from work and found him napping, with Divot under the covers and her head on MY pillow. Life has never been the same since.
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That sounds very familiar. We still don’t let dogs on the bed, but the couch is doggie heaven.
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They do have a way of working themselves into the fold
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Yes, they do.
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No more 4-legs for *me* this year, though I wouldn’t put it past the roommate to acquire a new cat (she had to put down the nicer, friendlier one earlier this year). ^That^ would mean a lot more work for me, unfortunately.
If/when I get my own place, I will consider a snake(!) – my thinking goes that they don’t require *daily* attention and feeding and cleaning and all that… and, plus it’s a little quirky – just like me 😉
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To each his or her own. Personally, I don’t think I could handle a snake simply because they need to be fed live rodents – and after having raised various small rodents, I couldn’t deal with it.
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Great picture at the end!
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Isn’t that the best puppy picture ever? I think Cody was 4 or 5 months old, and that bone had originally belonged to our 90-lb German Shepherd.
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No four-legged presents at my house. Voldemort left me with his six purebred cats and instructions to put them down when he had a mid-life crisis and reproduced identical twins at 60. For me, the cats were a covenant I could not ignore, like marriage vows. I wasn’t a cat person before. These guyzos, a term from the comic Get Fuzzy, are my only family. When the remaining two pass, after a break, I will see, maybe a small dog. There is a man now, who seems possibly permanent. He is a dog guy, and feline allergic. He has stood by me through this Wretched Vestibular Disorder. Voldemort wasn’t around for the birth of our child. So we will see.
You tell great stories CM. I’m crying over your pets. And remembering my babes who have passed. I lost a lot recently. Pets included. But they gave more than they ever took.
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Sorry I made you cry. I hope the new man does become permanent (and that you get a dog!).
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Crying and Feeling is Good!
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Presents FOR four legged beasts for sure. One is plenty!
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Cody already got her present. I bought her a new doggie bed and there was simply no way to sneak it past her (nor could I have wrapped it), so she got it early.
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Our dogs always go for their Christmas stockings. They know!
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I have to have a dog and cat. They are such good friends.
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Pets never ask for more than you can give them. I’d be lost without Cody.
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What a great trip down animal lane. Thanks for the tears and the laughs.
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“animal lane” I like that phrase – so appropriate. Glad you enjoyed the posts.
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It is a wonderful story, told lovingly. I felt as If I knew CM’s family during this time.
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Glad you enjoyed it. Despite the occasional grief, I enjoyed every one of our pets.
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