So - you may not know this, but if you are on FB (facebook for all you un-nerdy people), you will know this. I want a dog. It's like I've had this feeling my entire life. When I was a kid I was definitely one of those "animal kids." When I was under the age of 5 I decided that since my parents wouldn't get me a dog I would just BE the dog. And my mother, always wanting to encourage our sense of wonder and creativity, fed me on the floor out of a bowl for a few days and probably tolerated my barking replies instead of proper words. Sometimes Moms can be great. I was also the kid who the cat just happened to follow me home; and by "follow me home" I mean I put a little string around its poor neck and drug it into the house with me.
Well I still remember coming home from my friend, Jessica Clancy's Valentine's party, at the wee age of 8 like it was just yesterday. I walked into our front room and a bitty tan and white cocker spaniel puppy was creeping across our dark brown early 80s carpet shaking like she just ran into the ghost of Christmas past. What really happened was that she went from a cosy puppy pen to a house full of 7 kids. That's enough to scare the life out of anyone - much less a wee freckled nose spaniel. I started crying right then and there. I remember being so happy I could've died right with my arms full of puppy- after all, all dogs go to heaven right? I still can remember her little creep across the floor and the joy that filled my heart. I loved my dog - even if I felt sorry for her for having to come live in our crazy house. And she turned out to be the best cocker spaniel - so skinny and not at all grumpy. She was always wanting to be in the mix with all of us. We named her Sundance, after none other than "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid."
After I got to college, and Sundance did go on her way to heaven, I envied all the kids that had dogs to tromp through the mountains of Utah with. My eyes would get green with envy and I would day dream into my future - one filled with a law degree, a 1970s Toyota Landcruiser, and a pooch right in the seat next to me headed up some canyon to hike away the afternoon. How I ended up in San Diego (with no mountains), a husband allergic to animals, and a career in purchasing and logistics is beyond me ... life is a progression right? Apparently I am still working my way into my future. In the meantime, I decided that now is the time to get my dog. I finally own a home with a yard for my dog! I subscribe to the Field of Dreams motto - if you build it they will come. But - finding a dog is a lot harder than you think. All the pooches from rescue societies that fit the bill are snatched up by other greedy dog lovers before I even get the chance to meet them. Then - when I did get a chance to meet one, the nasty lady from the rescue society gave it to some rich lady from Huntington who drove ALL the way down to meet Bronson. I cried when I was supposed to be out having fun with the girls from work.
So now - a few months later, still dog-less, my friend Kristina, said that when she was looking for a dog she prayed about finding the right one for her. And because sometimes I forget that HF, God, Allah, Buddha, the Universe, or whomever we pray to is supposed to care about ALL things it didn't even cross my mind to pray for the best dog for me. So, here I am...about to go to sleep and asking for Heavenly Father to send the right dog my direction. I may not have the mountains close, or a 1970s Toyota Landcruiser - but I do have a beach and a little cute backyard and a dog park around the corner and a sweet husband willing to risk allergies and perhaps even death just so I can be happy. Now - all I need is the dog.
