Furry, Cuddly, And All Mine

Quote of the day: “At the end of your life, you will never regret not having passed one more test, not winning one more verdict, or not closing one more deal. You will regret time not spent with a husband, a friend, a child, or a parent.” —Barbara Bush; Wife Of The 41st President Of The United States

There were significant chapters opened and closed from Friday until today. I feel like a lot has happened in such a short amount of time, but life always seems to roll like that.

Last Friday, our second family pet had to be put to sleep. He was technically my mom’s cat, but we all just loved him so much. She adopted him when he was a kitty and all of us kids were either in college or newly out of college. He was adorable and one of the most friendly, loving cats I’ve ever met. He acted similarly to a dog where he would come when you would call his name and jump up on your lap to be petted. He also weighed about 25 pounds, so he was one big cat!

His legal name was Dublin, but we all called him “Big Kitty.” It seemed to fit him.

After 14 or so years, he became ill and was ready to pass. Thankfully my brother was home and able to go with my mom to the vet’s to help with the transition. I felt so bad for my mom and brother. Both of them felt the heaviest load of grief.

So on Friday evening, after all was said and done, I spent the night at my mom’s, sitting around talking about Big Kitty and how much we’ll miss him. She was tempted to go right out and get another cat that day, but she didn’t. Although my father truly loved Big Kitty, he’s ready for their house to be animal-free, especially since he’ll be retiring by the end of next year. My mom understands this thought process with her head, but her heart yearns for another pet to love and care for.

Stepping aside from this topic for a moment, which we’ll get back to, one of my favorite breeds of dog are Pugs. I just love their personalities. I had the privilege to live with one in my early twenties that was my roommate’s dog. His name was Sammy. Oh, how I loved Sammy. He was a wonderful friend.

Anyways, I have never owned my own dog. We had a dog growing up, but of course my mom mostly took care of him. I have never been solely responsible for a dog. I have never been the “mom,” but I knew I always wanted to be a dog owner, though I just didn’t know when that would be. I loved dogs too much to just get one when I my lifestyle wasn’t appropriate for one. So, I’ve been waiting. Waiting for the right time to commit. Waiting for me to be settled enough. Waiting, for now.

More than a year ago, I sent in an application to the Pug Rescue Society of CNY. I began to feel the time was coming. Months passed and I didn’t hear anything from them about available pugs, so I just thought the timing must not be right. Then, Monday of last week, I got the urge to check their web site to see if they had any to adopt, and much to my surprise, there were a few new arrivals displayed right on the home page! I immediately called and asked if I could come and meet the dogs. She said, “Of course!”

I kept this news to myself. My husband isn’t the biggest fan of the breed, so I’ve always known that if I was really serious about getting a pug, it would take me convincing him. Or, begging him.

Last week was a difficult week, as my postings displayed, so I merely trucked along with each day, until Friday. Friday I felt a little better until the news of Big Kitty’s passing. Suddenly, the timing seemed right. On Sunday I went with my friend Jill to visit the dogs. Out of the three that they had for adoption, only one is the dog for me. He is perfect. His name is Charlie.

And just like that, I went home, bore my soul to my husband, pleading for his approval, and he thankfully obliged.

Because of some logistical reasons, I won’t be bringing him home until Friday, April 23. I have the next two weeks to get the house all ready for him. I’m so excited.

Last night I smiled myself to sleep, really. And it was the first time in as long as I can remember that I couldn’t wait for the morning to come because tonight we are going to visit again.

All for the love of an animal who I’ve yet to know.

It feels so good.