Sunday, January 2, 2011

Sad Puppy Commercials Break My Heart

You know those commercials. They have a sappy song playing. They show you sad faces of little cats and dogs. I hear Sarah McLachlan and I immediately change the channel!

I was just sitting in  my comfy recliner that I used to keep the dog out of. The dog. Whatever, she is not just the dog. She is Lady! MY little Lady. Lady Bug. Bug. Poopy dog. Buggy. Buggy Bug. I have thousands of names for my pets.  So anyway, I was sitting in my recliner and Willie Nelson started singing You Are Always on My Mind. It was another commercial asking for us to help out the animals. I hate these commercials!! I have such a soft heart when it comes to animals and I just want to help them all.

Back in 2000 I had just moved into my first apartment. I was starting my final term of college. A friend of mine had a new kitten. VERY new. She was so tiny. I met her once and she fit in the palm of my hand. I was terrified that I would break her if I touched her. That friend of mine dumped her boyfriend and they had to go their separate ways. But what to do with the kitten? I couldn't bare to see it go to the pound, so even though I had never owned a cat I took her in. Her name was already given to her, and it fits her to a T ... Tinker Bell!  Now in 2011, that little girl and I are always attached at this hip. Tinker has lived in Oregon and Florida. Yep, she's a cross-country traveler, twice! She even got to visit the State Capitol building in Nashville, Tennessee!

But Tinker Tot isn't the only spoiled little critter running around our cottage. I heard Willie sing, I looked at the sad faces on the television, and then I looked over at my little angel. At my sweet Lady. In 2005 I was just getting settled in my house back in Oregon. Tinker needed a friend. I needed a dog. So on April 16 my mom and I went to our local animal shelter. There she was. The most precious little thing. A tiny Cocker Spaniel on the verge of death. A black lab puppy was jumping all over her and she looked so desperate to be rescued. It was cold and rainy. She didn't have much life left in her. I couldn't just take the first dog I saw, so I hurried through giving all of the others a fair chance. But I had to go back to that little girl. Even if she only had a few more months to live, I wanted this dog to know a good life!

I grabbed a leash and took her on a walk. I said, "Mom, I need to save her. I will name her Lady, because she reminds me of Lady and the Tramp, and she is an old lady in need of a family."  Apparently earlier my mom had said she looked like a "Lady" but I never heard her. And so it was. Lady was part of my family! The women at the shelter were happy to see her get adopted. They said she had been around there for so long and they weren't sure how much longer she had before .....   (I can't even fill in the blank!!)  Lady was a stray. She used to live somewhere off the main street that we live off of now. But she ended up lost and at the shelter. 

We soon learned that she really hated men. She protected me from the instant we met and wouldn't let my step-dad even get in the same room. I was married at the time (ugh) and she wouldn't even let that guy into my bedroom (good girl!). It really seemed like this delicate little thing had been abused and just wanted to be a watch dog and protect her mommy.

We bathed her, wrapped her in a blanket of her own and watched her nap by the fire. Somehow over the course of a few hours she doubled in size. The vet guessed she was 3 or 4 years old. Basically, Lady is the best actress EVER!! My dog is NOT petite. She was not old. She isn't even a Cocker - although there definitely is some Cocker in her. She is a perfect little, spoiled mutt! .... OH - and now she ADORES my Grandpa Jim. They are always together. She loves to do ANYTHING with him. Funny how a little love can change a dog!

And right now my little girl is passed out on the couch. I think she had a wild New Years party without me!


4 comments:

  1. I have to turn the channel when I see the aspca commercials, breaks my heart. love your doggie story!

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  2. Those commercials kill me every single time!

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  3. Those commercials always get to me too. You have such a good heart!

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  4. What a little cutie pie! I have to change the channel when those commercials come on bc i start crying like a baby.

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