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| My name is Calli, Calli Levy Stratford, ON June 2017 |
I guess that makes us dog people, and it's a label we wear proudly. It isn't convenient, cost-effective or logical to own a dog. Yet we do. Because life otherwise seems a little less complete, a little less rich.
So after much discussion within our family, we decided to bring another pup into our home. The munchkin in the photo above is Calli - full name Calli Finn (short for Finnegan, of Mr. Dressup sock-puppet fame, because I'm weird like that.) Like Frasier, she's a miniature schnauzer. She was born May 9th, and we brought her home earlier this afternoon. Here's what she looked like when she was two weeks old. For more pics, follow her on Instagram.
We don't speak dog, so we couldn't really talk about her day with her before we tucked her into her new crate with her now-favorite toys (Eeyore is in the early lead) and watched her instantly drop into a deep sleep. But if she could talk, she'd probably tell us about what a tough day it was for her. About how she was taken by strange new people to a strange new place. I worried about that on the drive home. I hope she saw the day as a good one, as the beginning of an exciting new chapter in what we fervently hope is a happy, healthy and fun-filled life. I hope she knows how much we already love her.
We're pretty sure the next few days, weeks and months will be sleep-deprived, mess-filled and generally chaotic as she adjusts to us and we do the same with her. I say this not because we cherish sleep or a perfectly neat house, because in my book that's not what qualifies as a life well lived. I'd gladly give up some zees in exchange for watching our kids continue to grow as people. Our first dog taught them so much about life and responsibility as they rose to the challenge of managing his diabetes. Whatever the future holds for Calli, I know she'll find some way to carve herself into their lives, as well. Because dogs make us better people. They make our kids better people, too.
Welcome to the family, little one. We can't wait to see what adventures await us all.
Your turn: Why do we love dogs as much as we do?
OMG a chocolate brown schnauzer! That's a first for me! She looks beautiful!
ReplyDeleteHaving had two dogs at two different times over the past 14 years, adopting the first when he was nearly 6 y.o., but raising the 2nd one from the time he was about 6 months to a month shy of 11, I can say that we are also dog lovers.
ReplyDeleteThey are a welcome presence in our lives, sometimes part of the main picture, other times just visible in the edges of the frame, but they bring their own kind of love into a household. Just as we nurture our dogs, they nurture us. Just as your kids were made to be more responsible, our kids did the same and showed their love and attention and almost reliability on our 2nd dog. Dogs can be a calming source, and teach us how, like people, they can be nurturing and needy...and we have to try to regularly meet their needs.
They don't judge us, but they watch over us. They entertain us, they relax us. They play with us, they play with our emotions, and they teach us how to love.
I hope that Cali brings you a greater awareness of what joy and love can mean to a family...because 4-legged love is pure and natural.
Welcome home, Cali Finn!