Two years ago, I became a dog owner. Up until then, I had no desire to have a pet because I was gone so much. But my husband really wanted one, and so I said okay. We were both at home much more of the time, and had slowed down our lives, so I thought that maybe I could handle it. I had never owned a pet, other than goldfish and a turtle growing up, so I felt a bit inadequate.
Anyway, my husband said that he wanted me to pick out our dog because he wanted me to like him or her. He would be happy with whichever one I chose. So I went to Pet Refuge and brought my two oldest grandchildren with me. They wanted me to get a big dog, but we have a small house. They liked dogs with lots of pent-up energy. I did not. They didn’t care about the shedding. I did. I knew what I wanted. I wanted a small dog that was trained to go outside, didn’t shed much, and was not hyper. I preferred it to have a quiet, sweet disposition.
We looked through the whole place and did not see any dog matching the description. In fact, we didn’t see any small dogs at all. But, just as we were ready to leave, we saw a family in one of the visiting rooms with the little dog I wanted. I panicked and thought, “Oh no, they are going to adopt her (I just knew it was a girl)!” I couldn’t imagine that they would not choose her.
And then they left. I couldn’t believe it! They didn’t want her. I just had to see her immediately! The woman that was still inside the room with (my) dog was a foster parent for this little sweetie. We asked if we could see her and she said,”Of course.” The woman with her was so nice. We sat down in the little room and she placed her on my lap. I began to pet her and in a few minutes, she was asleep. I wanted her!
Her name, (yes, she was a girl) was “Tiny” and she was adorable. I asked what I needed to do to adopt her. There were two interviews and references required. There were many questions to be asked and answered. We had the first interview on the spot. I was so excited. I couldn’t wait to take her home. We went through every requirement and jumped through every hoop.
When we went to pick her up, she wasn’t ready to leave her foster mom. I felt so unsure of myself all of a sudden. But the foster mom assured us that she would bond with us. And she did. I was totally amazed by the change in me. I loved her. I mean really loved her. I could feel it down to my toes. It was a transforming experience. It was like she was my child. And it is still this way. No one has ever been as happy to see me when I come home as she is. She is pure joy. I finally understand why dog owners are a breed of their own. And now I am one of them too.