Dogs

In case everyone doesn’t know I am obsessed with animals! I mean for real. I have way too many but that is a different story. Anyway, I have an entire farm full of beloved pets, but there is one thing that is missing for a true farm setting.

A Dog.

Growing up I never had many friends. I’m sort of one of those weirdos that are no one likes because I’m quiet, and prefer animals and books to people. Well my best friend was my dog; Brutus.

He was a Toy Poodle that I got when I was pretty young, when my grandma’s dog had puppies. I loved that little stinker, we did everything together. One of my few gifts is the ability to train animals, any kind. I know everyone says their dog is one of the smartest there is but he really was. He knew tons and tons of words and tricks. He could act out entire scenes. An example:
I would tell a little story about an army guy. Brutus would walk on his back legs, and I would go bang, bang with my finger pointing at him like a gun. He would drop to the ground and army crawl across the floor, until I pretend shot him again. Then he would roll over, and twitch back and forth for a few seconds then take a deep breath, close his eyes and freeze. It was hilarious, and we had to acted out perfectly.

He knew how to give high fives, high tens (with both feet), shake, roll over, sit, walk on back feet, pull little wagons, dance, clean up his toys, open drawers, speak, we even did agility courses. He also knew all kinds of words. Cheese was his favorite treat. If I said that he would run to the fridge and wait patiently for me to get him out a piece. We shared a kraft single every day when I got home from school. He knew exactly when dad got off work, or I would get home on the bus. And when it was about 5 minutes till he would wait by the front door. If you said ‘catch a fly fly’ he would run around the house and track down every single fly and kill them.

Every year he would go trick or treating with me, and we would wear matching costumes. We have done:

A cowgirl and a cow, hippies, angels, little bo peep and sheep, one year I even dyed him blue and we both went as eeyore.

A few years ago; a couple days before my 15th birthday. We were in the process of moving from our neighborhood home to our current farm. We had been staying at our new house, and only came home twice a day to let Brutus out. We were busy, and I hadn’t given him much attention in a couple weeks. He was sad, and sulked around most of the time. But it was only going to be for a little while. We finally decided it was time to bring him to the new house with us. And I felt so bad that I hadn’t spent enough time with him. So I went to walmart and bought a whole bunch of toys and treats. I came home, grinning from ear to ear, and called and called for my little friend. But he was nowhere to be found. We searched, and I found him. Laying up on the side of the highway squashed.He must of snuck out the door when we were moving boxes or something. It was one of the worst moment of my life. The guilt I felt for ignoring him the last few years still troubles me. Every time I think of him, I remember seeing him there. I wish I hadn’t found him. I still miss him very much, every day. I cried for weeks and weeks. I was heartbroken.

After that I didn’t like dogs anymore. After about 6 months. We thought maybe if I had another dog I would love it, and it would fill the hole in my heart. But it wasn’t so. We got Bella. A great Pyrenees puppy. She was sweet and cute. But I didn’t like her. I compared her in every way to Brutus. I would be like ‘Brutus wouldn’t do that. Or Brutus is smarter than that’ My dad was the same way, and it was unfair to keep her when no one liked her. She really was a good dog. But we were scoured. We found her a loving home with some friends that had lots of children. She is very happy there.

I still to this day don’t love dogs like I did. I still miss my little buddy. But I think I am ready to open my heart to a new puppy. We have the perfect place for a dog, lots of room, and I do live on a farm. A dog would keep predators away. And I would love a new friend. I know I could never replace Brutus in my heart, but I may be able to make room for another special pet.

Last night I was looking on pet finder. I found what seems to be the perfect match.

Olivia

She is a German Shepherd/Collie Mix. If I ever got another dog I wanted German Shepherd, and mom always wanted a Collie. Why not have both? She is cute, and young where we can train her from an early age not to chase our animals. German Shepherds are the next smartest dog behind poodles, and Collie are smart too. It's seems like a perfect fit.

Then there is Sunday. Her sister. She is so cute too! How could I ever pick? I could take both. But I don't have $500 to pay for the pair. And I don't know if I could honestly dedicate enough time for two puppies at once.

I talked to mom about it, and she is on board.

Today we will talk to dad about our little scheme. He loved Brutus as much as me, and he too feels resistance about dogs now. But maybe, just maybe, I might be able to sway him into a new puppy.... or two.

Oh and as a side note:

I have another job now. I was invited to be a dog trainer, and take care of the dogs at the local boarding facility. Thats kind of ironic. Seeing as how I don't even like dogs that much anymore.

Oh well. I'm going to give it a try, and see if I can warm up this cold heart again. Job starts on monday.

As another side note:

I may be quitting the pizza place and working at mcdonalds. There has been a lot of problems and stress, and I think it might just be better. We'll see. Got my application yesterday.