Dog Days

Nick and I recently decided that it was time for us to add to our family...don't get excited, we're not talking  children.  From way before we were married, we decided that we wanted a dog.  I love dogs and it didn't take much to convince me that the Elgin household needed one.  Growing up, my sisters and I always wanted a dog.  Our Dad bought us a beagle, and we didn't like him much and neither did the neighbors.  He wasn't the loveable family pet that we wanted.  Buster stole things from the neighbors, avoided contact and lived to escape the yard.  One day we came home and Buster was gone.  We never found out what happened to him.  But after that we immediately started hounding our Dad for another dog.  And being the fabulous Dad that spoils his children that he is, he broke down and bought us a Golden Retriever, Millie. 

I still remember the day we went to pick Millie out.  Lindsay was little, only 4 or 5 years old.  She sat down in the middle of the Mills' yard and puppies started crawling all over her.  She was in dog heaven.  One by one the puppies got bored and went back to their playing, all except one that stayed with Lindsay to get attention.  And that was the day Millie became part of our family.  She's been a part of our family ever since that day 11 years ago.  In fact, until my husband came along, Millie was the love of my life.  I'm not sure that I can really put into words how much I love this dog.  She is probably the smartest dog I've met.  She has her different barks for different things she wants, recognizes words, and tricks us into giving her treats.  2 years ago Millie developed a limp that we couldn't explain.  I took her to the vet to get x-rays on her leg.  The vet called me back into the office and showed me an x-ray that showed vaguely that Millie had developed bone cancer.  I stood there in front of the vet that I'd known since childhood and cried like a baby.  Standing there looking at those pictures of my beloved dog's leg was the hardest thing I've ever had to do.  And to make it worse I had to take her home and tell my mom and sister the diagnosis.  Millie was given 6 months to live, and like I said, that was 2 years ago.  I think God knew that we weren't quite ready to let Millie go, and Millie has been the picture of health since then...although she has had a few too many bacon treats.

When Nick started to come around my parents house, he too feel in love with our Millie.  When we started talking about a dog of our own, our first choice was a Golden Retriever and we never seriously discussed any other kind of dog.  Nick wasn't sure that we needed a dog, but Millie came to stay with us for a few days while my parents were away and he was sold.  I found a breeder in New Salisbury and began talking to her, thinking we'd get a puppy late summer or early fall.  As luck would have it, we were able to get the last female puppy from the most recent litter.  We get to bring our "baby" home on April 10th. 

It's funny how our pets become such a big part of our lives.  What starts out as an annoying stray or just a puppy to have around the house turns into a member of your family.  I think pets (especially dogs) have got to be one of the greatest things ever!!  Now on to reading puppy training books....