The Evolution of Ozzie

In addition to two boys, we happen to have 2 dogs. Both male. Both brought home by me, without hubby's knowledge or approval.

Doggie #1 (we'll meet him another day), was brought home before we were married. A bold move, that made my then fiance wonder about my ability to make snap inappropriate decisions.

Doggie #2 was brough home last April. I was kind of feeling like maybe I wanted to have another baby. I was feeling the need to nuture, to love, to mold. And somehow my need to nuture crossed pathes with fate...at a garage sale. So today I'm going to share with you how Ozzie became a part of our family.



So innocently enough on an April morning, I drive my kids to school, little turds farted around and missed the bus, so I had to drive them.
"Bye, love ya, see you after school." And on my way,down the street, back to my life of laundry and dusting. Cruising along just fine, past a garage sale, and there they are.
There in that little pen in the front yard. Small tiny black furballs, bouncing around, rolling on top of each other with a sign on the pen that says "Puppies for Sale".
Now mind you, I have no intention of getting another dog. Hubby was not happy 9 years ago when I brought the first one home, I learned my lesson. I'm just going to stop and take a look. I mean they are so stinkin' cute, I just gotta look at them.

Whip the car into park and quickly walk up, scoop one out of the cage and let it lick my face with the fabulous little puppy breath smell. I oogle and google over the thing. Find out they are Shih tzu's, all boys left, all the girls are gone. So I stay for like half an hour loving each and every one of them. "Okay, I must go home." "Bye, guys, your really cute, hope you find good homes".

So I head back home. A couple hours later, while manning my own garage sale, I say to my sister. "There was a sale this morning that had puppies, they were SOOOOOOOOOO cute (sounding like I'm about 7 when I say "so cute".)
"Well, lets go see them"
"Okay"
"Mom, we'll be back, we're going to go see the puppies."

Now when you come back a second time, the people selling the puppies start to work you over a little harder.
"Oh your back"
"I just brought my sister to see them"
"I see" (chuckle, chuckle)
Then lots of questions about where we live, what type of family we have, you know, working us over as possible buyers. Same thing again, half an hour of looking, and then your outta there.

Now here's where it starts to get ugly. You go pick up your kids at school and tell them there is a garage sale with puppies,
"What....can we go see them....PPPLLLLEEEAAASSSEEE." Then you try to act like no we aren't going to go see them, but inside your thinking "yes".

Okay, now when you show up for the third time with your kids, they pretty much hand you the puppy, his papers, and they ask for $350 (yikes!-for a dog?)

But see, this is the evil part. When you take the kids home and they beg their Dad for the dog, it doesn't look as pathetic as if you beg for the dog. Saying things like "well, get me the puppy and I'll stop whining over a baby" or "if I don't get to nurture something I might decide to buy a horse, or a pot belly pig, or adopt a child from Romania" don't seem totally appropriate.

Now insert the horrific look of "your not serious are you? It's taken me 9 years to like the other dog, don't push your luck lady. For the love of God, tell me you are not going to do this!".

Now insert me going from endearing and kind of cute, to me thinking "I don't really care, I think this will keep me sane".
"I'm getting me a puppy, I mean.....I'm getting the kids a puppy."

And so we all four went and look at the puppies, and the kids and I picked out which one would become my new psuedo child, the thing that I would nurture and try to make it seem like it filled the human void. And Nick stood there is disbelief, hoping it was all just some bad dream, hating EVERY second of the whole process, and basically looking at me like "don't even think for a second that I am going to do anything to take care of that thing".

Love, a lot of love.

And so, in all reality, it was one of the best decisions I ever made. Having a new little something, that thought the world of me, needed me, went ( and still does) everywhere I go, gave me back a little tiny sense of being needed. That animal loves me, and the kids, and Nick (shhh, don't tell him, it still wants to act like he doesn't like him, but I've caught him teaching the little furball how to hug).

He's brought a lot of mindless joy (and frustration in the form of housebreaking) and I always say to everyone that he's my third child.
With that being said, I don't carry him around in a purse, dress him up in clothes, or take him for pictures with Santa. I haven't totally lost my mind.

And that my friends, is the the Evolution of Ozzie. A little black and brown Shih Tzu that helped keep my sanity. He might have only a face a mother could love, and he's not the smartest dog ever, but he's served a very important purpose in this house.




And don't tell anyone, but I think maybe, just maybe, Nick actually likes the little guy. What do you think?