Daymia took one look at him and without hesitation said he looked like a Charlie. Hyrum and Nathan spent almost an hour
looking at a website with top names for dogs but couldn't find anything that they liked better. By the end of the week
his official vet records and his collar tag both read "Charlie".
The long story is that I got a puppy.
My extended family is going to think I'm nuts and they wouldn't be far off. After forty three years of being anti-dog,
my mid life identity crisis has brought Charlie into my life.
In August, after half of my kids left home and the other half started to school, I struggled trying to figure out who I am sitting here in an empty house for hours each day. I tried going out more but that just stressed me out and caused me to spend money I didn't need to. I tried starting new hobbies or going back to old ones but my heart and mind were not really into it, and it caused me to spend money I didn't need to. I started eating more which only made me feel worse, and caused me to spend money I didn't need to. I tried to think of when I'd been the happiest during the last year and what had brought it on and immediately I thought of the two weeks that I had Madelyn. Kellie will never know what a blessing Madelyn was for me!
But, having another baby was out of the question and babysitting for someone else would only mess with my work schedule
and time with my own kids so the obvious answer was a puppy.
It was the dumbest idea I've had since my Dorothy Hamill haircut.
I fought it from September through November. I don't like dogs. I never have and after Sadie the Black Lab died I vowed we'd never have one again. I didn't even tell LeRoy about this crazy notion knowing that it would just bring a stare of "who the heck is this woman and where is my Kimber?" Still, every time I tried to find a way to fill that empty mothering need, I thought of a puppy. Occasionally I would throw out the idea to the kids and, of course, they were all for it and would start begging me to pleeeease get one but ultimately they figured it would never happen because, well, I don't like dogs.
Harrison and Oliver were no help. They have been banned from the house with the occasional parole when I needed some creature comfort but that only left me more frustrated when I would realize, again, that I was covered in cat hair. Then there was the vacuuming and cleaning that I needed to do to keep the house cat free (in theory) for close friends who are allergic to cats. Not to mention the attitude that I was getting from my feline friends since they aren't too happy about being forced to live in the freezing temperatures of winter.
But, a puppy?
I started researching small indoor dogs. Which breed didn't shed and was hypoallergenic? Which breed was easiest to train? Which breed, or cross breed, was least likely to be a yappy? I asked friends who had small dogs (two of them because I did NOT want a dog like theirs). I spent a month reading up on something that I vowed never to own. Then, I set my expectations so high that I at least had comfort in the fact that I had sincerely studied the subject and if it came to be (which was unlikely with my list) then it was meant to be.
Must be a specific:
breed: Shih Tzu based on look, no shedding (hair instead of fur), personality, ease of training, adult size and possible life span - once I have the thing trained I want it to take me through the entire full house to empty nest transition and to be here for grandkids to enjoy.
gender: iffy on that since males tend to be more affectionate and easier to train, females more attitude, but it gives me the heebie-jeebies when a male pup rolls over for some belly rubbing and his junk is staring at me so ultimately it would come down to love at first meeting
age: I want a pup that I can train with our family and our house - no "old dog/new tricks"
price, or less: people pay what for these things?? Not me, it's got to be practically free.
color: no white and black, must be brown, preferably dark brown
location: I wasn't going to drive long distance to see a "maybe"
On January 8th I saw an add on KSL with black faced pups; their bodies not visible in the pictures. I only went to see them because the owner was local and I needed to get this nonsense out of my system. After all, they were black with white and I wanted brown. I warned Hyrum ahead of time that we probably wouldn't get one of the puppies but I let him go with me as my social support (yes, I realize how pathetic it sounds to take a six year old for an emotional body guard).
The barking that came from the home as we knocked on the door nearly changed my mind right there on the porch. I did not want that at my house! Tammy opened the door trying to grab the female and male parents to put them in kennels while we hesitantly made our way into the home. Once the parents were under control she opened the puppy kennel to let the pups out. Two black and white pups came out and showed absolutely no interest in us. I found out later that they were both female and have never been very affectionate but rather rough with each other. However, a third puppy stuck his head out of the kennel, glanced our way and waddled on over to us. Hyrum and I both sat on the floor and he crawled right up into my lap, laid his floppy head on my arm and looked back at me with dark brown eyes.
I knew then that I was in trouble but with what little sense I had left I started asking Tammy all kinds of questions. He never fidgeted or left my lap in that whole time and I had to pry him from my arm to sit him on Hyrum's lap. It wasn't until thirty minutes later when Tammy got a phone call that I took the time to really look at him and consider taking him home. That's when I realized he was mostly dark brown with a white underbelly and white marking on this face. He was beautiful! Am I still talking about a dog? Yep. He snuggled his fluffy ears and floppy paws and pouty lips right into my arms and with those deep mirror eyes seemed to recognize me as his. I realized then that I wanted him. I wanted him to be my daily companion throughout the lonely hours. I wanted to hear his feet pitter-pattering around after me while I did laundry and dishes. I wanted him to be my daily therapy and I knew first hand that he would be cheaper than any other therapy.
After an hour long crash course about how to care for and train a pup...or just get through the first night until I could get him some food and a living space...I pulled out the cash to pay Tammy. She counted it out and told me that the price in the ad was for the females and it was much less for the male. Even better! That would cover his food and kennel. Hyrum was speechless but had a huge grin on his face as we sat in the van with a shivering, whimpering six week old puppy between us. About a mile from Tammy's house he said, "we're not getting him huh? I'm glad you were wrong".
The first couple of days were rough. The poor thing wanted to suckle so bad that my palms and fingers were sore from him trying. Though he seemed okay with the kennel and small space that we had designated his, he whimpered almost not stop and barked whenever I left the room. Oh, and the poop! What was I thinking? I ban the cats from the house because they started pooping inside and then I BUY a creature to poop inside? It wasn't just poop, it was newborn, runny, get all over his hair poop. Luckily, (for him and me) that changed within a couple of days with him being solely on solid food. The theory of puppy-dog eyes is all true. He would make a mess and then as I was cleaning him up he would stare at me with what seemed like so much gratitude and admiration that I couldn't help but fall in love with him even with the extra work.
Within five days I was beginning to be okay with the changes and we were both adapting. We had figured out a schedule and it was working for both of us - much less whining, hardly any barking, he was playful with the kids and was doing great with his designated potty place. But, we were heading to California for four days and he would be left with Daymia and Erika caring for him between their work schedules. I wondered what kind of crazed creature we would come home to.
Little did I know that the girls were so excited about him that they moved in and doted on him with so much love and care that he was even better when we got home. They kept him to his schedule without messing up the potty place or the kennel training and had even been working on the biting, teaching him that fingers and faces are not for biting but he had plenty of toys to soothe his teething gums on.
The weather had also started to warm up so we could actually train him for the outdoors and get rid of indoor potty place. He did great!
Now, a couple of months later, Charlie has become the most beloved member of the family...for everyone. LeRoy gets down on the floor for him to wrestle; Levi actually likes him (and Levi hates dogs); Erika and Daymia keep threatening to steal him and Justin is his lunch buddy.
Nathan and Hyrum have the most adorable relationship with him. His morning routine is to go from the kennel to the outdoors first thing and as soon as he comes back in he flops himself (his version of running) to the boys room to wake them up. He can't get on their beds so he stands up to the mattresses until they wake up enough to acknowledge him. It took a few days but he's learned to sit quietly or eat while we read scriptures and then he wanders around after Nathan and Hyrum while they get ready for school. As they walk out the front door he whimpers and whines, finally plopping down with all four paws spread out on the floor or sprawls out on his frog for a morning nap to let go of his disappointment.
After his morning nap he wanders around behind me as I do household chores or sits at my feet while I work in the office. In the early afternoon he gets antsy and paces around the front door waiting for them to come home. It's different from his pee-pee dance at the back door when he wants to go out. He'll go between their bedroom and the front door for a good 15 minutes looking for them.
As it gets closer to the time for the boys to come home I let Charlie out the front and we sit on the porch step until the bus comes around the corner. As soon as the boys jump off that bottom bus step and yell out "Charlie!" he pounces down the porch steps and runs with all his puppy speed to get to them.
Charlie is now four months old and has doubled in size and our love for him has doubled as well. As Nathan said, "he brings joy to our house". If joy is found in baby talk and laughing at innocent (though at times destructive) pup antics then yes, he has brought joy.
He's been through his first grooming which was awful! Charlie did great but the haircut was terrible! He looked like a shaved cat with a Shih Tzu face. I took him to a "professional" because I was afraid that I'd make a mess of it only having YouTube experience but I fear no more. All future haircuts will be from me. The face, ear and paw trimming that I've already attempted builds my pet grooming confidence.
During his first couple of weeks with us I would randomly ring the doorbell or knock on the door throughout the day so that I could teach him not to bark. With all the coming and going at our house he is very good to run to the door as soon as he hears someone coming but the only time he has barked was at the FEDEX guy who wanted a signature and I was okay with that.
Along with house training and no-bark training he has learned to sit, lay, fetch and stay. We all get so involved with his new accomplishments that it feels similar to when Hyrum started crawling/walking/talking and the whole family cheered him on. He really is the baby of the family.
Part of our nightly routine is sitting together on the floor to comb out his wind blown mop. We both like that calming time before bed. After he is tangle free he goes right to his kennel for the night and snuggles up to his frog with no complaints.
