“Holding on to a dream”

My children’s dream was to have a dog. Every year for their birthday or for Christmas one of them would ask for a puppy. This went on for years, every year. My children are currently twenty and twenty-three years old. Whenever they were younger and asked for a dog, I said “No!” However, I suddenly had two adult children. One kid was in college and the other a recent working college graduate living at home to save money. My husband and I were now empty nesters! We could travel, go out to eat dinner, or do anything we wanted. Why would I want a dog now? Well here it was my birthday and suddenly the dog conversation started up again.
“Mom, why can’t we get a dog?” asked my youngest daughter.
“Yes, Mom, why can’t we get one now that we are adults? Besides, you are currently unemployed, it is the summer, and it would be the perfect time so you can stay home with the puppy,” said the oldest.
Being a little sarcastic, I replied,  “Well, honey, you are a working girl now and an adult. If you want a dog it will be your dog. However, these are the rules—which were many and included no dog on the beds or furniture—and you can only get an Apricot Standard Poodle. Oh, also you have to find it and get everything for it, too!” I figured there were too many rules and it would be hard to get an Apricot Standard Poodle.

Well little did I know that she and her sister found one that evening. He was only thirty minutes away, and the only apricot puppy in a litter of seven black puppies. Who would have figured that on Wednesday evening, after my celebration dinner, my girls would be online searching for this specific puppy? It was supposed to be a special birthday celebrated in Europe, but with college tuitions to pay we had a special birthday dinner on the shoreline instead. Boy was it a special birthday when I look back on it now! Who would have known that at the same time they emailed the breeder, at eleven o’clock at night, he would be online, too? He immediately answered back, and told them to come on Friday. With my husband’s blessing, and money, they went to see him. They bought him on the spot, but now had to wait two weeks until they could bring him home. All of this happened without me knowing it.

Well, two weeks later my girls went to yoga class— which is funny because the younger one doesn’t even know how to do yoga, but what do I know—and they came home with Louie. When I first saw him I didn’t know whether to yell, cry, or be happy. They did everything I had asked of them and now here he was.  “Are we babysitting someone’s dog?” I asked with uncertainty.
“No, Mom, he is ours,” said the working kid.
“Here, Mom, hold him,” said the college kid as she thrusted him into my arms.  Well there you have it, friends, I instantly fell in love. How did that happen to me? If you knew me, you would laugh and say, “You have a dog?” I like dogs; I had a dog as a kid. However, I never wanted a dog as an adult. Now here I am writing a blog about my dog, writing a dog book based on him for young children, going to obedience school with my dog, buying him toys and treats, making sure he has good manners and constantly worrying about him like I do with my children. Did he get enough water today? Did someone bring him for a walk? Did someone play fetch with him?

I recently found an old note written by my youngest daughter when she was six–years old. It said, “If I had a million dollars I would buy a pet dog. Because I dont have a pet but I usto it was a hreamit crab. So I would get a puppy with a million dollars.” When I read this, I thought to myself that for her it must have seemed so out of reach in order to have a puppy. She really never needed the money, because all she needed was what she already had inside her. Her dream and her love.

Louie is a breath of fresh air for our family. My children never gave up on their dream. I admire them for their perseverance, tenacity, and resourcefulness.  However, now when I see them with Louie I admire them for the great love they have inside them and I know that will carry them forward to a wonderful life.