Heart Speak

July 5 - Snoozing

On July 5, 2011, I was at my neighbor's teasing him about his love of Dodge trucks - he'd rather sit in the cab, having a conversation over a cold one. than go into the comfort of his house or back yard - when his nephew, a young man with huge, neonate eyes walked up to us with a puppy in his arms. Those dark eyes were pleading his case (and hers) before he'd uttered a word.

"Please, I just want to find her a good home. I can't keep her and if I don't find her a good home, she'll be bait."

I reached out and he put her into my hands. Slippery, loose puppy skin covered in reddish tan fur, white toes, black tips on her ears and nose that was smudged with white on the left side. The warmest coppery brown eyes I'd ever seen looked up into mine and I fell in love. But... wait...

Damn. She was a pit bull type pup...
When our little Joy died on Mother's Day this year, I swore that I'd wait for a while before getting another dog companion for Jimmy, our red and white beagle. John, my son said he thought we should find a pit bull puppy. My head immediately began assessing all the things a puppy required - time, attention, house training, behavioral training... Did I say training? I responded with a clear "No." "No. I don't have time to train a puppy. You won't spend the time to train a puppy. I had a pit 25 years ago. She was wonderful but when you don't spend time with them, they eat everything. They get bored and stir-crazy when they're left alone. They need LOTS of attention. So, NO puppy. And, especially, not a pit puppy."

That was that. Or so I thought until that small, squishy, warm, fur covered tongue dispenser snuggled up to my chest and kissed my chin.

Snuggling with Jade

In retrospect, my head had nothing to do with the instinctive decision made by my heart. That little fur bundle plugged into my emotional center so fast there was no thinking done at all. Just plain and simple love-at-first sight ruled in that moment. Perhaps there was a touch of fear created by Snoop's plea. "Bait" didn't really mean anything to me but it sounded ugly.

I hadn't had a puppy in over 30 years. I didn't know the first thing about training a pit. I had read and heard a LOT of bad press about this type of dog in recent years. Maulings, dog fighting, "vicious breed," were all phrases that came to mind as my brain kicked in and a personal version of "adopter's remorse" set in. What the hell had I gotten myself into?