Call Me WAHMmy
I remember back when my daughter was born, getting a card that gave me permission to let my regular work go to seed because there was a new baby in the house--not that I really care what anyone thinks of that dust bunny collection behind the toilet anyway, but there was just something reassuring about having society's okay to be lazy for a window of time. I guess I'm claiming that right again because I once again have a new baby in the house. Well, not a "new" baby, but new to me. In a week where I would be normally whining about the demands of another dismal all-day training session on a platform I resent (working three consecutive shifts is no picnic!), I've been able to float above it all, relatively unscathed (except for these puffy feet and double vision), because Karma figured out how to distract me from all that by dumping a little sunshine in my lap.
After grieving over wee Ailis since the end of January, I've had periods of masochism where I'd pore over animal shelter and rescue sites and this last month, it's been a weekly routine--so I knew it must be time. It just hurt more to not have a dog than it did to think of the one we lost.
What ensued was a frustrating and depressing ordeal. The shelters are full of little more than discarded pit bulls, Jack Russells, and a few lab mixes. If you're looking for a proper terrier, you're mostly out of luck. Classifieds aren't much better--just add poodles and Yorkies to the mix. Pet shops almost invariably deal with puppy mills, so they're out. Breeders are getting as much as $2500 for dogs, which makes little sense when you're looking for a pet, not a show dog, and besides, it's practically criminal to demand a purebred when there are hundreds of animals euthanized for lack of homes.
Even the rescue organizations were bleak. I appreciate them wanting to ensure a good, forever home for dogs who need stability and love, but when they want an application comparable to a bank loan, home inspections for the next three years, an agreement to participate in their obedience/training classes, it involves traveling hours to get there, and they still want you to pay hundreds of dollars for previous vet bills and care, it's a bit daunting and I suspect loses them a lot of potential participants. Even a gun purchase isn't this involved. . . Still, I was at that point and almost ready to file an application. . . when I stumbled across an ad for a pair of wire fox terriers. For free. I saw the photo and knew this was my dog.
Fast forward past the phone tag, crossed emails, a waiting list of people to see the dogs, and straight to the part where I came home with the sweetest little guy you ever met, a 2-year-old male, now going by the name of Duncan. Apart from the thing where he wants to eat the cats (wow--hoping to get a handle on that terrier instinct!), he is a baby doll. Thinks he's a lap dog and has assumed the proper position at my foot pedal all through my shift. After living in someone's lanai for the last six months, he seems gobsmacked, wondering what the heck he did to deserve air conditioning and endless attention. What a smile! (At least until the vet next week, when only Bob Barker will be pleased. . .)
The hole has been filled and my universe is a lot less off kilter. I heartily recommend for anyone looking for their own new fur baby to please consider rescuing one yourselves. It's a heartbreaker to rummage through Pet Finder (virtually all shelters list through this site) and see all those sweet faces, knowing the vast majority will be euthanized for lack of homes. So maybe a pit bull isn't for you, either--there are even more cats than dogs looking for homes. In this era of shrinking pay and disappearing jobs--something we know too well in MT--a lot of families are having to give up cherished pets. When you're working from home--alone, as so many MTs are--a pet is often the thing that keeps us from feeling totally isolated and loony. I suspect that there are enough crusty MTs who have at least a treasured feline for company that the cat could qualify as our industry mascot (we're equally impossible to herd so hard to tell apart, anyway).
It's not often you can do something for someone else that feels like you're mostly doing yourself a favor.