Of Puppies

I feel I've done an adequate job proving the word "never" to be quite futile.

I always said I'd never let my child become addicted to a T.V. character.  I also always told myself if it happened, it definitely wouldn't be Dora the Explorer.  We weren't even going to watch Dora.  And yet I now love it when my daughter points at the screen and yells excitedly, "Boots!" or "No swiping!"

I always said I would never have an outdoor cat.  I loved my cats and didn't want them in the dangerous world of streets and snakes and bringing dead birds to my door.  And yet now I've had to tell my husband more than once to toss that bird carcass, tucked in a corner of our porch by our cat, in the trash before our child finds it.

And finally I always said I never wanted a dog.  They're cute when other people have them but I never felt the need to have my own animal wagging their tail waiting for their belly to be rubbed.  And now I have two lovable puppies snuggled up in towels on our back patio (having already polished off one full bowl of Dog Chow).  And they're ours.

They don't have names, yet, but they're still real.  And they're ours.

I own a dog.  I own two dogs.

Sigh.

In case you're wondering, Micaiah is still unsure about this.  She's terrified of being within inches of a puppy, but doesn't mind running back and forth, scribbling on the concrete with her red chalk while the puppies sniff out their new surroundings.  She'll tell you up and down, "I want puppy!" but if you ask if she wants to pet it, she'll shake her head adamantly in the negative direction.

She's a little indecisive - but I think she's going to like it.