Man's (or Woman's) Best Friend...

So, my husband talked me in to watching this movie last night. I can't remember the last time I cried so much..I should probably start by telling you that up until almost 2 years ago, I was not a dog person. Heck, I wasn't any kind of animal person... My daughter nagged me since she was 8 years old for a puppy. There was no way I was having a stinky little rodent pooping all over my house - and you know the way the story goes... You get the kids the dog, they play with it for a few days because it's just so cute, and the novelty wears off. Who's dog is it then? Mine - and I didn't want the damn thing to begin with. I even had a friend who moved from Australia - she had to leave her dogs with her parents and she cried all the time. I couldn't understand why she just didn't go to the SPCA and get another one. I mean, after all, it's just a dog. I just didn't get it.

A girl I worked with 3 years ago got a puppy from a breeder (who happened to be her aunt) in Calgary. One look at this puppy and I knew that if I were ever going to ruin my life with some hairy mutt, this would be the one I would want....So my name went on the waiting list.......for 1.5 years. I was specific that I wanted a female, because, as much as I didn't want a dog, I sure as heck didn't want a one humping everything in sight.

I get a phone call that the puppies are born and she sends me the picture of the female. That was all it took. I think at that instant I loved her like there was no tomorrow:

All I could think was 'oh boy, what am I getting myself into?' So.....from this picture I had about 6-7 weeks to mentally and physically prepare myself for the new child.....But I had rules:

1) No sleeping on the beds

2) No on the furniture unless there's a blanket down

3) No human food - pet food only

4) Treats are for good behavior only

5) No licking! For the love of everything sacred - there's nothing more disgusting that warm doggie tongue. It's like being rubbed with a piece of raw bacon.

and the list went on.......and on.....

So, we picked up little Miss Porkchop 7 weeks later:

I knew...Instantly. I loved this dog more than my whole life. I couldn't love this dog more if I had given birth to her myself. So, here I am, almost 2 years later, I look at her every morning, as she's lying there on my pillow between Vaughn and I, and she greets me by licking my nose, I say to her, "Thank you for coming to our family." And I cry.

So, Vaughn voices his concerns to me - worried that I may not be able to handle it because dogs don't have the longest lifespan. I tell him that I pray that God takes me first. He thinks I'm crazy.

She eats whatever she wants - she gets treats because she's great, cute, basically because she breathing - she sleeps wherever she wants - and she is ruler of this house. I wouldn't have it any other way. After all, she's Porkchop the Wonder Dog - Princess of Greatness.

I finally get it.