Saturday, January 29, 2011

A Mom Heart, Her Pets, and Her Hero

Hey everybody.
We aren't necessarily moving.
Sorry for the scare.
It's just that LG is looking for a new job,
and that could bring a new residence.
Let's face it,
the economy sucks.
And you have to go where the work is.

Today one of LG's cousins said they were looking for a dog.
My mother in law so kindly offered up ours.
She knows I have been thinking about finding her a new home.
I have been stressed about finding a new place for her to live,
in case we have to move.

You know, I do that stress thing from time to time.
Why?
Because I am a mom.
That's why.
And I have a mom heart.
I can't help it.
And I want to make sure that all of my kids (and pets) are taken care of.
I take no child left behind to an all new level. It's called no living thing left behind.

So, this cousin, who would provide Olive (our dog) with a wonderful home,
offered to take her on a trial basis.
My in-laws were pulling out of the drive-way,
and it was all up to me,
as to whether or not Olive was going to go along.
At least that is what LG said.
I started loving on the dog,
and I couldn't keep the tears away.
My 12 year old Alice
who lost her best friend Major (a German Shepherd)
to the vet's needle,
seemed to show her true self.
She screamed,
"Please don't make me do this."

It was decided to postpone the decision for now.
Relief washed over me,
and the 12 year old Alice
thanked me incessantly.

Once a mom decides to care for something as her own,
nobody should try to come between them.
Unless they want to watch the mom cry
for any amount of time.

The funny thing is that I have complained about this dog.
I have constantly complained.
I'm the only ones who feeds her.
Or takes her on walks.
I have to bathe her.
And cut her nails.
And get up with her in the night.
And I have to run after her when someone lets her out,
and she can run about 80 miles an hour.
Seriously.
From the get-go I took the majority of the responsibility for cleaning up her messes.
And it took about 6 months and ripped out carpet to properly house-train her.

But gosh danget...she is MY dog.
And I am not giving her away.
Because I promised to take care of her.
No matter what personal sacrifice I have to make.
And I love her.
And she loves me.
And my mom heart can't handle abandoning her.
And just writing the word abandon makes me want to throw up.
A mother can never abandon her children or her dogs.
She will throw herself in front of the train if she has to.

And her reward at this very moment is a dog sprawled out on the rug looking up at her with loyal eyes and her cat sitting next to her arm that rests on the desk while typing.
And on lots of days, that is more than her kids ever offer her for all of her sacrifice.

So, after my in-laws drove away,
LG says to me,
"Alice, I just made an important decision. If we do have to move, we are just gonna have to find a place that will let us have the dog and the cat."
"Why do you say that?" I question.
"You know why."

I wrapped my arms around him and started to bawl.
I love that man.

7 comments:

ShEiLa said...

Oh....

thanks for sharing.

YOU are so right the economy does suck... and so many are suffering and wondering what to do next. I am glad you kept your dog though.

ToOdLeS.

Sharlene, Mom, Grammy said...

Does Olive really have those beautiful green and chocolate brown eyes? ! She reminds me very much of my childhood dog---a stray that followed me home from school and never left. Really. She went everywhere with me and even slept in my bed and didn’t die for another 15 years.

I say take those darling pets with you wherever you go! Pets are absolutely family---any Mom Heart knows that.

Sharlene, Mom, Grammy said...

PS - When we moved here from CA, we brought two cats with us. One was ours and the other was a stray who had been sneaking our cat's food. Nobody in the old neighborhood liked the stray, so I knew I had to take her with me. Both lived many, many, many years. Family!

Rita said...

You are the best mom ~ Olive belongs with you! So glad you kept her. As much work as they are -- our pets are so worth the effort!

LG is a keeper too! :)

(sorry I hardly spoke with you this morning at b-ball!)

Lynnae said...

What a sweet poochie and hubby! We have to love our 4 legged babies!

Alice Faye said...

As I recall, I did NOT offer up Olive. I merely told cousin that you might be interested then I handed the phone to YOU!!
None-the-less, I am so very glad you kept Olive. I would have cried too.

Donna said...

CHARLIE!!!!!!!!!!