Friday, August 15, 2008

My Baby


Contemplation, originally uploaded by nmsu_chica.

No matter how much I want to have a baby right now, I know we need to wait until we are a little closer to being done with school. My biological clock seems to be hitting me over the head recently. Every single day I think about having a baby. I guess it doesn't help that I read more mommy blogs than photographer blogs, and they are just so darn cute.

For now I will just have to settle for my animal babies. This particular one is everyones favorite. We got lucky with her when we picked her out from our local shelter. You never know what underlying problems you are going to bring home with you when you get an animal with no known history.

This little girl wasn't even my first choice. There was this big, white, fuzzy faced dog that caught my eye, but the husband was set on getting a beagle. Whenever I think about that day I can't help but feel sad about all the dogs that I didn't choose. The twins that had been there for seven years, the other beagle named Peanut, the big, white fluffy faced dog. They all hold a special place in my heart, but this little girl has stolen it away. She is my baby.

It has been almost three years since we picked Leia out at the shelter. My husband didn't even want a dog at the time, but I couldn't get the thought of having a dog out of my head (now it seems I am the same way about babies.) I dragged him to several different shelters, telling him I just wanted to look. Then we were robbed. After a couple days back home in Ohio for Thanksgiving we came home to find the back door wide open and everything that was worth anything inside was gone.

We need a guard dog, was my next excuse for getting a dog. Finally, my husband agreed. He thought a beagle would be perfect. They have a deep bark that will keep potential robbers away, yet they are sweet and friendly. Anything other than a beagle would not due for the husband. I would do anything for a dog, at the time, so I went with it.

Then we found this cute, shy, little dog at Orphan's of the Storm. Her information said absolutely nothing about her, but they thought she would get along well with cats and children, so we took her.

She gets along with cat's and children (the cat's bite her ears while she just lays there), but that guard dog we were looking for? Ha, she would probably just stare at a robber and then go back to sleep. That deep beagle howl/bark? We had to pick the only beagle in the world that doesn't bark (unless it is an inanimate object like a black bag). But those are all things that I love about her. I wouldn't change it for the world.

I didn't always feel this way about her. When we first brought her home I wasn't in love. She was alright, but she had separation anxiety and tore up my house (she doesn't anymore). She wasn't the fluffy faced dog I had hoped for. She chased my cat. She threw up in the car (still does). I just didn't feel that deep love that I had hoped to feel. The same love I had for Midnight. I feared we had chosen the wrong dog. Maybe she wasn't the one we were supposed to pick.

She soon proved me wrong. She got over her separation anxiety. With very little training she was sitting, shaking, playing in the yard without a leash, listening to us, and giving me this deep "I love you" stare that I just couldn't resist. We got lucky with her, and I just couldn't imagine not loving her.

If you have a dog in your future, please consider adopting from your local shelter. If you have a specific dog in mind consider adopting from a breed specific rescue. There is a good chance you will get lucky just like us. All these dogs want is some love, and as soon as they get it they will do whatever you ask (almost) to keep it. If you have any questions about adopting an animal please feel free to ask me or head over to Petfinder for more information and to find a dog in need of love near you.

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8 comments:

Kristen said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Kristen said...

When the baby bug bites, it bites hard. Until you do have kids I highly suggest getting as much sleep possible. Seriously- go to bed now and don't wake up until the little one arrives! :) I hope you get to enjoy pregnancy and motherhood soon, it is quite a trip.

Kristen said...

Holy jesus...I'm not sure why my comment posted a million times.

Isadora said...

Relax! You've a great goal. My daughter is 34 and in a tough career where she can't even be meeting potential partner much less a potential daddy and it upsets me more than it does her...and she does want a family one day. People make their priorities and it helps nothing if you pine after what you didn't chose. Enjoy what you did set as a goal and then move on to the next goal. Good luck - cute dog by the way. :)

magiceye said...

we had adopted a stray 5yrs back and he has become an essential part of our household now!

Do visit here for my post about Rakshabandhan - a celebration of sibling bonding in India!

magiceye said...

we had adopted a stray 5yrs back and he has become an essential part of our household now!

Do visit here for my post about Rakshabandhan - a celebration of sibling bonding in India!

Torsdag 1952 said...

Sorry, I’m a little late because I was sailing this weekend.
So I stop by and say thank you for a nice SWF.

Kristen said...

Hey Kim,

Chris and I decided to check out the blog this evening and I thought I would say hello! I hope you two are doing well. Everytime Chris and I eat seafood now I have to tell him over and over again how good the restaurant was that we went to in Nantasket. That meal was so good. Anyway, I know that was random but it just popped into my head again.
Have a good weekend!
Kristen
P.S. I know the mommy blogs all too well. Try www.babycenter.com They have a lot of info on there, real stories and pictures too. I go to that site way too often. :)