Puppy Love

I will be the first to admit that he was a rebound – a total reaction to the Great Break-Up of 2002. I was lonely, depressed and sad and he gave me so much attention and love. And he had those gorgeous green eyes. What can I say? I’m a sucker for green eyes. Four years later, we’re still together… August 21, 2002

Yep, four years ago the little brown dog came into my life. It was about two months after my first break up with C. (yeah, we broke up twice. Evidently couldn’t get it through our heads the first time that we weren’t right together so we broke up again in 2004.) and about a month after my old roommate moved out. I had never lived alone and I hated it. The house was entirely too quiet. A friend of mine had adopted a puppy from a shelter earlier that year and it seemed like a good idea. So on a hot August afternoon, I drove up there “just to look”. Yeah, I came home with this…

First hiking trip at Matthews/Winters Park in Morrison

He was 9 weeks old when Ipicked him up. He was in a pen with the rest of his litter but he was the only brown one. All of the puppies had numbered tags around their necks and when I picked him up his tag number was 727 – my birthday. I’m a big believer in signs and I took that as a good one as we played in the grass at the shelter. He ran around my feet, his hind legs totally out of sync with his front legs. When he got a little too far away I whistled and he came running back. I sat down and he jumped into my lap and started licking my cheek. It was all over after that. I filled out the paperwork, made my donation to the shelter and headed home with my new addition.

Brown dog and his duck

I honestly hadn’t planned on getting a dog that day so I had nothing one needs to care for a dog. On the way home we stopped at Petco and I watched my bank account literally evaporate as the cashier rang up a crate, a dog bed, food, treats, bowls, collar, leash, dog shampoo and a variety of chew toys. We got home and I unloaded everything as Barley made his way through the house, sniffing every square inch. He peed on the carpet three times in less than 5 minutes. And so began potty training. He chewed the leg of a dining room chair as I put some food in his bowl. And so began the introduction of the rawhide chewies. He whimpered and cried for a good four hours the first night he was home. And so began me holding him until he fell asleep and could be placed in his crate. The first few weeks were hard and there were times that I wondered, like with most rebounds, if I had made a mistake. But as time went on, we got into a routine (and he started sleeping like a civilized human being) and things got easier.

Deep thoughts in the snow

Four years later, it’s hard to remember what things were like before he was around. I usually wake up to the sound of him stretching and scratching on his bed before he walks over to mine to see if I’m up. He sits in the doorway of my bathroom as I shower. He eats breakfast as I make my coffee. We both share a ridiculous affection for bacon. I have to spell out the words “walk” and “park” if I’m talking to someone else because he goes crazy otherwise. And for the past four years, I come home every day to his happy face and wagging tail.

Quiet moment with the duck

He is, without question, the only rebound I don’t regret.