Did I ever tell you that our Sweet Girl is a hoarder?
Well, she is…. of dogs. That girl has a heart bigger than she is and cannot pass up a stray, no matter what the size. I have no idea where she gets this from. I’m thinking the “dog gods” spoke to her while she was in my womb and said, “Sweet girl, you will forever be the keeper of the strays and you will love them forever”.
And that’s how this story begins.
SWEET GIRL: (Calling me on the phone and sounding super excited) Mom!! I found a really cute place, in the museum district and it’s perfect!
ME: That’s great! I can’t wait to see it. Do you need help moving?
SWEET GIRL: Yes please. But I’ve also ran into a little problem.
ME: With every problem, there’s a solution.
SWEET GIRL: I can only have one pet and it has to be under 25 lbs.
ME: That is a problem, especially since you have FIVE dogs! What are you going to do?
SWEET GIRL: I found homes for three of them and I’ll keep Lola Mae.
A little background info on her sweet little Lola Mae- She’s a one-eyed, crooked-tail boston terrier which was given to her by Boy Wonder before she headed off to LA. (I swear, he could give her a rock and she would keep it forever.) She wasn’t missing her eye when he bought her but we soon found out why he got her at a discount. Lol. Lola Mae is now eleven and still going strong with her one eyed, crooked tail self.
ME: So, who’s left that needs a home?
SWEET GIRL: Carol.
ME: Who names their dog Carol? That’s a hideous name for a dog.
SWEET GIRL: Mom! Let’s focus. Can you and daddy keep her until I find her a home?
ME: Yes, we’ll keep her. But you know how attached I get to animals. You better find her a home pretty snappy.
SWEET GIRL: Thanks! You’re the best. And I’m not just saying that either.
ME: Blah, Blah, Blah. I know. I’m a super cool mom.
Later that night-
ME: (Speaking to Cowboy as he comes into the house and hangs his hat up) Sweet Girl found a new home so we’ll need to help her move in a couple of weeks.
COWBOY: Aren’t we at our moving limit with her? How many times are we going to be shuffling boxes for these kids?
ME: As many times as needed.
COWBOY: Ok.
Two weeks later I decided it was a good time to mention to Cowboy about Carol-
ME: (Speaking hesitantly) Don’t forget we’ll be fostering one of Sweet Girl’s dogs until she finds her a home.
COWBOY: What? You never told me that. Tammy, we do not need another dog! You know how attached to them you get and we’ll never get rid of it. No. The answer is no.
ME: Ok, but she’s bringing Carol tomorrow.
COWBOY: (Shaking his head as he mutters) Don’t get attached because we are not it’s forever home. I’m serious. And, she’s not coming inside the house either.
ME: I promise I won’t get attached and I won’t go to Petsmart to buy anything for her…I promise.
The next day Sweet Girl brings Carol to us. She’s the cutest lab-pit mix. Solid black with a white diamond on her chest.
ME: Oh gosh she’s the sweetest dog ever.
SWEET GIRL: I know. And she’s house trained and loves to snuggle.
Two days later-
I’m sitting in the middle of our living room with Maggie, Sophie Sue and Carol (who I’ve renamed Brookie Bear). Cowboy walks in just as I’m pulling out new collars, name tags and toys from a Petsmart bag.
COWBOY: Tammy! What are you doing? We talked about this. We decided that she wasn’t staying.
ME: (Looking as if I’ve been caught with my hand in the cookie jar). Umm… we bonded.
COWBOY: (Bending down to look at her new cheetah print collar and name tag) Why does her name tag say “Brooke” and has your phone number on it?
ME: I love her.
Cowboy pets her, stands up and walks away as he’s muttering I have lost control of everything.
’til next Sunday y’all- ๐๐ธ, ๐ฃ๐ช๐ถ๐ถ๐ โฅ
