Slice 9 March 9, 2012 My Free Dog

I always wanted a Shelty Dog. That's pretty much like a Shetland Sheep Dog and perhaps a mix with a Collie. They never grow very big but are very friendly and lovable dogs. My husband and I had been married about twelve years and our children were 5 and 7 yrs. old, a daughter and son, respectively. The thought of buying a dog had not even entered my mind when I left home one sunny Saturday morning in the middle of June. All I thought of was to get to a housing development that had garage sales and find as many toys and clothes for my children as I could that day.

I parked beside a house that had a sign out, “Shelty-Mix Puppies for Sale”. I walked by the open garage and looked in to see 13 adorable puppies but knew that I just couldn't stop for this. So I hurried on my way.

I spent a good part of two hours walking from house to house looking at clothes and toys and sometimes, walking back to the car with an armload of my purchases to unload and return to continue my escapade. Finally, so tired of walking and almost out of money that I brought with me, I headed back to the car for good.

I was walking across the front of the open garage and two puppies were left. A male and a female. The little male looked up at me with his sad big brown eyes as if to say, “Won't you take me?” My heart melted! All I could think of then were my two children and how they would love on him and be so excited to see him. I couldn't leave him there. I promised to care for him. He wasn't a pure bred Shelty but he was so cute. I took him with me.

I stopped by the grocery on the way home and bought a leash and some puppy food to be sure we had something for him to eat. He was so scared in the car that he crawled under the front seat so I couldn't get to him until I got home – about 30 minutes away.

I arrived home and my children came out. Just as I suspected, they were elated. They threw open their arms and just loved the little guy. My husband, well, not so much. He said, “What were you thinking?”

Then it hit. What was I thinking? I do have a soft heart for animals anyway, but what were we going to keep him in and of course we couldn't keep him in the house, etc. Our neighbors came to the rescue. They had a dog house we could use behind our house. It would need a little paint. They had a dog carrier we could borrow until we bought one of our own. We were all fixed up.

Lastly, we had an evening appointment. My husband said since we had an obligation to this little fella. We better stay home with him and not go, so we canceled the appointment and stayed with him. It was the beginning of a beautiful relationship with Tippy for 15 years. He was always there for us as long as he lived!

Comments

  1. I love this -- "What was I thinking?" So often we get ourselves into these little jams...but then, as your story proves, they work out just fine!
    Ruth

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  2. Ahhh...I am always a sucker for a good dog story especially with a happy ending! Those furry faces make life richer. Tippy will always be in your heart, mind and maybe there are more stories.

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  3. I love the reaction of your children, ...they were elated. They threw open their arms and just loved the little guy.

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  4. A snap decision with a dog in tow. You are a softy, Sue, for sure. And 15 years with Tippy. I agree, there has to be many more stories.

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  5. I loved the part where you purposely avoided the puppies at the beginning of your shopping but could resist a last look. It breaks my heart to drive past all the people who are selling dogs in parking lots. I want to stop, but don't for fear I will bring that responsibility home.

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