melted

So I walked into my parents' house this afternoon and got quite a surprise.

 

A puppy!

This tiny, cute little thing was yipping and jumping around in a big box. I was floored. I finally scooped her up out of the box and she stopped hollering and starting making this funny grunt/growl noise and burrowing into my jacket.

I pretty much melted.

I got the story from mom a little later: my brother has alluded to a Christmas "surprise" around Christmas, and I hadn't thought much of it then. But mom said that when she got home last night, Miles had confirmed that this was the surprise. His gift to all of us, I guess. Cool, and yet also evidence of my brother's lack of perspective on all that owning a dog involves.

Feeding. Walking. Vet visits. Shots. Training. Cleaning up after it. playing with it. chasing it down the street when it gets out of the fence. Chewed shoes, books, pillows, etc. barking and yipping. LOTS of barking and yipping…

At least, this is how it was with our old dog. We all loved her at first, but by the time she died, I think we were fairly relieved. I know, that's terrible. But we're definitely not dog people. We have a cat and she totally rules the house, but a dog? I'm not so sure.

So I don't know how this will go. Could be great—a good chance for my brother to learn some responsibility, a beloved family pet, etc. Or could be bad (see above).

All I know is, my heart melted and I'm already wishing I could go back and play with her right now. I had/have so much to do today, and yet I was totally taken off track by this cute little fur ball who just nestled up next to me and wouldn't budge. She kept getting so upset when I'd put her on the ground, and tried to snuggle up by my shoes, so I finally picked her up and put her in my jacket pocket. She just curled up there and continued with her grunting and snuggling. Wow.

I think I like this dog because I know how she feels. She wants to be close to someone, to be loved, and she's going to let you know it if she's not happy.

So funny, so odd, so unexpected, and now I'm feeling so attached already. Definitely going to be interesting…