Three years ago, my boyfriend's mom took in a
discarded puppy (the previous owners were getting a divorce, and neither of them wanted the poor thing). We told her not to do it because she already had a dog, cat, scorpion,
tarantula, and snake. But she has a generous heart and cannot turn away
an animal in need. When she went to go and pick up the puppy, my boyfriend and I
waited at her house, talking about how silly this was and that the last thing
she needed was another mouth to feed.
As soon as she got home with the puppy, I felt
awful for telling her she shouldn't have rescued him. He was, quite honestly,
the cutest little munchkin I had ever seen. Seven-month-old Charlie won me over immediately. He hopped,
bounced, and zoomed around the house (all eight pounds of him) with a heart beating faster than I knew was possible.
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| Charlie |
We bonded instantly. I had always been fascinated by
dogs but knew little about them as I hadn't spent much time around
them. Charlie changed all that. I could usually be found at my boyfriend's mom's house, snuggling and talking to Charlie. Sometimes, she let me bring him to my parents.
A few months after he arrived in my life,
Chris's mom let me take Charlie home for a weekend sleepover. The weekend sleepovers
went on for about a year. Eventually, I wouldn't return him on Sundays but on Tuesdays or Wednesdays instead. One day my boyfriend, his mom, and I were having lunch.
My boyfriend asked if I could adopt Charlie. She hummed and hawed. She
loved him too. But one
month later, she let me keep him.
When my boyfriend and I bought a house, I was so
excited Charlie would have a backyard to run around in and a home all to
himself. We were a cozy family of three… until one year ago when I decided to
foster a three-month-old black mutt who was found on a reserve. His name was Chance. It was supposed to be temporary. We were only going to look after him until
someone wanted to adopt him, I swear. But my boyfriend and I fell in
love with his sweet and even-tempered nature, so we adopted him.
Initially, I wasn't sure how to split
my time and love between two dogs. I felt guilty that Charlie would have to
share me. I thought it was unfair to Chance, our new puppy, that I would always
love Charlie a little bit more. I needn't have worried. A few months passed, and one day I woke up
and realized I loved them both the same.
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| Chance, shortly after he came into our home |
My mood and their behaviour change multiple times per
day, which means I often like one more, but I
always love them equally. I didn't have to split my love for Charlie in half and
share it with Chance. I love Charlie as much as I always have, and I love
Chance equally. They mean the world to me and have taught me so much about
myself. I have learned I am patient, loving, generous, affectionate, and a pushover.
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| Charlie and Chance |
Charlie: Thank you for wagging your tiny tail,
kissing my nose, and crying to be picked up every day when I get home from work.
I love our snuggle sessions and how you crawl onto my chest and burrow your
little face into my neck. I love how you are so good with my grandma. When you
let me cry into your fur after a sad day, I am very aware of how
fortunate I am to have you in my life. You
can get away with anything because as soon as I look into your big brown eyes, my heart melts, and I can't help but think how perfect you are.
Chance: I love our hugs. I wrap my arms around you, and you rest your head on my shoulder, not moving until I am ready for the
moment to be over. When I look into your soulful eyes and talk to you, I feel you understand me. You made me the happiest gal in the world the day you came into our home, walked over to me sitting on
the floor, and crawled into my lap. You knew you were home, and so did I.
You make me feel safe. I am so grateful for you.
