I HAVE TO BE CAREFUL WHAT I THINK ABOUT...

So... working in a vet clinic, you see a lot of animals and there is a percentage that need homes.

Sometimes it's people with a litter puppies.

Or an unclaimed sick or injured animal from the Humane Society that the Doc does "Pro-Bono" care for that needs a home.

Sometimes clients just want to get rid of their pets. My Rosie was given to me when she was 12. Suddenly she was just too much work for the lady.
My Louie was going to be put down at the age of 3 because he had thrown up one too many times. (He no longer throws up).

Right now, there's an adorable little pup that just got hip surgery that reminds me of Ralphie but much more well mannered, and one of the techs is adopting him.

Another person had a litter of purebred puppies and one of the pups had a blaze of white that would disqualify him from being able to be a "show" dog and they would have given him to me for free but I said No.

Yep, I have turned down quite a few.

I say my plate is full. I also would never get a BIG dog while I have my Blue and some days I don't think I will get a BIG one again even when Blue is gone. Not that Big dogs aren't Good dogs...it's just that as I get older, I'm thinking I will stick to Small. Small is easy to carry, Small is easy to feed. Small is easier to pick up after.

So the other day, a rare day when it wasn't crazy busy. I was up front helping cover the receptionist lunch hours. I was chatting with the other receptionist about someone we both knew. We were talking about how all of us have multiple pet households and how this woman we knew had dogs, cats, birds, guinea pigs and a horse. She had not ridden her horse at all last summer and would sometimes go a month or more without seeing him and yet she wouldn't sell him to his caretaker. We just couldn't figure out what was going on in her mind. Why have pets if you didn't spend time with them. Eventually the conversation came around to our own crazy households. She asked me if I planned on getting any more dogs and I said NO. I was perfectly happy with the status quo and I would never go hunting for a pet like the woman we had been talking about.

We talked about our favorite breeds and I joked about a quote I had once read that went something along the lines of "I regret that I only have one lifetime and won't be able to have every breed of dog that I wanted." We laughed and both said - Why couldn't you?

So she kept putting the question to me and asking if there wasn't some type of dog that I would break down and take home someday. I told her that while I love Goldens, I truly thought I'd never get another because no one could compare to my Maddie that I had for 12 years. The perfect Golden.

But she pressed on - "Come On!, there must be something that would make you change your mind."

So I told her there was one type of dog that I thought about but I had a lot of restrictions concerning it.

I said that someday I would like a Dachshund.
But not a big long one, more of a mini.

And I would never get a puppy, it would have to be one that needed a home.

And also a female dog. I am tired to male dogs wanting to raise their legs. Yep, definitely must be female.
And she couldn't be bossy, not the type that would get in Blue's face.
And she had to get along with cats.

Lastly it had to be a Dapple or a Piebald.

She laughed. She said it was like I making a list of stipulations so that I won't be tempted.
I just smiled and said, "Yeah, my NEXT dog has to be ALL of those things.
I felt pretty safe that a dog like that wouldn't just drop into my lap.

Not even ten minutes later a client walks in for her appointment and the receptionist calls to me to look at this woman's dog. An adorable little piebald mini-doxie. After the client came out from her dog's appointment, she asks if anyone would hold her dog while she paid her bill. So I held her little dog, who snuggled her face in the crook of my arm and then gave me kisses.
I laughed and said - I'm going to run out the door with her! she's just SO sweet!
The client said "Go ahead, I'm trying to downsize". I laughed it off and told her she would regret it. She nodded her head and said "Maybe, maybe not" and she would be "thinking" about it.

So fast forward about 10 days... guess who called me at work?!?!

She and her husband want to retire eventually and travel.

...and I have a new dog.

I sort of won my own personal lottery.

(Now I need to win the BIG money one.)

Her name is "Annie".

I'll probably keep that name....

although I've already called her "Petunia" and "Poppy" and "Daisy".

 Yeah, I know...I'm nuts. Crazy. Thank God I have my vet discount...and truly, there's no other type of breed of dog that I wished for. So, I'm done.
(She walked into my home and everyone had to give her a butt smelling greeting and then she instantly "clicked" with the gang...no problems, it's like she's been here all along.)
Careful what you wish for!