The Day I Became a Dog Mom

Hello peeps!

To start off this new blog of mine, I'd like to post one of my favorite personal stories currently.

Meaning, I'll happily tell a shortened version of the story of how I found and brought home my beloved pet and best friend!

The cute little turd in question is called Stitch, by the way.

Now then…

M​y mother and I like to go out “exploring” as we like to call it on nearly a daily basis. Whether it’s grocery shopping with a little extra on the side, or us literally just picking a direction and going, it’s a fun activity we can do together to have some Mother-Daughter time to ourselves. Often, we wind up finding new areas or stores we visit later on, or we find parks we stop and explore for a little while. Both I and my Mother are very avid nature people, after all!

I​t was on one of these adventures of ours that we wound up at an adoption event! Or, technically, it was a half "yard sale," half adoption event mash-up. We went to scour the yard sale and to cuddle with the adoptable dogs, but we had no intention of bringing one home. Quite frankly, we were just there because we were in the area.

There were plenty of puppies there, as well as adult dogs and yearlings. They were all reasonably small, and they were all extremely excited to see us! The minute I sat down to play with them while my Mother went and scoured the sale tables, three little dogs barreled into my lap at once. I was in heaven! But one stood out to me in particular.

H​e was this timid and quiet little min-pin-looking mutt. While the other two were scrambling to lick my face and squirming all over me, he just… Situated himself onto my legs and sat there the whole time. He didn’t care when the other dogs climbed over him to get to me. He didn’t care about all the other dogs barking, whining, whimpering, and playing around us. He was just content to lay on my lap and stay there.

I started petting him and ignoring the other dogs because he intrigued me. If anything, I was worried he was sad! When I asked about him, the people there at the event said his name was Stitch, and he was just over a year old. He had been found wandering the streets with another small dog they had of course named Lilo. As I asked more about him — and even had his friend Lilo brought out to me as well to greet — I kept petting him. He looked up at me, squinted at me with his adorable, wide brown eyes, then laid his head back down and fell asleep. He was so calm and comfortable, and I felt unimaginably drawn to him.

When my Mother rejoined me empty-handed from the sale tables, she just looked down at the two of us. The expression and smile on her face told me she knew what was going to happen.

We didn’t go there to adopt a dog. But I wound up taking Stitch home with me. He is my first, personally adopted dog; “my” dog.

The story above, though personal to me, is also very common among pet owners. Even if you are actively looking for a new dog to add to your family, you never truly know who you’ll connect with. The saying “Your dog picks you” is definitely a well-rounded one! There are many cases where you simply go to a shelter or adoption event to look at the dogs and give them some love and attention- like I had intended to do- and one special pooch decides you are their new home and person! Other instances happen where you go to genuinely pick a dog… And wind up bringing one home that is nearly the exact opposite of what you originally had in mind. Regardless of the circumstances, the result is always the same: YOU don’t pick your dog. They pick you!

T​hese wonderful experiences with adoptions and rescues don’t just occur with dogs, however. They can, and DO happen with every animal you can think of! Whether it’s a dog, cat, bird, or even a reptile like a snake or lizard, it’s always the fact that an animal picks you! You may fall in love with plenty of the cute critters looking for new homes, but once you look into the eyes of that one special creature, the decision is made for you~

N​ow this does come with its own problems. Stitch is a glorious, insane little pooch who fits right in with my family, but I am still in the process of teaching him the ins and outs of being a good boy. Trying to shake that urge to chase any fast thing that crosses his vision feels darn near impossible, and don’t even get me started on attempting to stop him from destroying every single thing in the house that he can get his adorable little paws and teeth into — this is forever a work in progress!

Stitch is a darn quick learner, but he’s also stubborn as a mule. Once again, he fits in perfectly, and I adore him with all my heart~