Isn't She Cute???

First of all, let me start by saying that I do not like dogs. I never have. My disinterest in all things furry may have started when, at age three, I was attacked by a poodle. My parents said that I was gently petting the dog, not pulling its tail or hurting it in any way, when it attacked my face, biting me in the lip. It was a minor injury. No big deal, really. I still remember it, though. It was very traumatic.

I managed to get past that incident and grew to the point where I liked dogs again, even begging for a dog. When I was seven, my parents took in a cocker spaniel, which we named T.J. The dog wasn't very intelligent and only knew how to do a few things, which included jumping up on each and every person that entered our back yard and barking non-stop through the night. My sister, Taylor, wouldn't even come outside during T.J.'s brief stay at our house. Each day, when I came home from school, my chore was to use a plastic cup to scoop up that day's doggy poo and put it into a grocery bag. So...my memories of dogs are not fond ones.

Fast forward a few years to college. It was during my pre-Josh time at school.
I met this really great guy and we started talking. I went out with him, once. He seemed pretty nice. One day, we were talking on the phone and he mentioned that he absolutely loved his dog. And then he said it.....He sleeps with his dog, always had and always will...or something along those lines. It was at that point that I knew that we had no future. Silly, huh? (I'm sure that his comment was all part of God working His plan...repelling me away from this guy...straight towards Josh, my perfect match, a few months later.:)

All of that just to get across the point that I'm really not a dog person. This brings me to my story...

A stray wandered into our garage the other day. Just as the door was shutting, I saw a little streak of fur run inside. I quickly opened the door again and saw the cutest little dog come running out. She ran over to the gate where the kids and I were standing, ran several circles around us and around our yard, jumped up into the air a few times as if to say, "Look at me!" Major was laughing and squealing with delight. Mary Alice was freaking out, trying to get inside and as far away from the dog as she could. The dog was so adorable, I just couldn't resist. She looked up and me and wagged her little tail.

I checked her for tags, knowing that someone must've been missing this dog. She had a collar, but no tags. The kids and I carried the dog all around the neighborhood, knocking on doors and asking if anyone knew her. Nobody did, but we did meet a few of our neighbors. :) We took her down to the local vet to see if they knew her. They didn't know her either, but gave us some free food and a leash. I called around and asked my dog-savvy friends for some advice. I mean, I don't even know the first thing about dogs, other than how to clean up their doggy poo with a cup.

After hearing their advice I decided to put her in our garage. I turned on the lights so that she wouldn't be lonely or scared. She cried, so I tied her to our fence with an extra long rope so that she could run around a little bit. (Our yard is missing a gate, so I didn't want her to get away!) Anyway, she cried and cried, so I (and this is very uncharacteristic of me) LET HER IN!!! She ran all around our house and played all day and night. At night, we put her in our bathroom and made a bed for her out of an old comforter and a towel. She snores.

Anyway, in a little over a day, Mary Alice went from being scared of her to considering the dog to be her best friend. This morning, we put the dog on a leash and walked her all around the neighborhood again. She is definitely an indoor dog, which I don't want right now. It is almost like having a toddler running around underfoot, except for the fact that I like toddlers in my house.


I finally called animal control, who promised me that they would not put her to sleep, but would contact me first if her owners fail to claim her. Anyone want a dog???