Suddenly *Not So* Single Journey

It’s Labor Day…

Monday, September 5th, 2011

Bishop and Bo

And even though it is a national holiday, I am still working.  As a work at home mom, I am always working.  It’s good.  And it’s different now.

I’ve never been more relaxed.  Seriously.

I’m getting married in five days.  No worries.  I still need to clean and finish shopping.  No problem.  I still need to get a marriage license.  We’ve got it covered.  And we’ve added a new challenge to the mix.

Yeah.  That’s our style.

So, meet Bo.  You may remember that this has been the summer of puppy love.  We’ve been trying to breed Bishop unsuccessfully for quite some time.  Still, there have been puppies galore popping up in the neighborhood.

First, Ed and Laura brought home Twix.  She’s a furry ball of energy.  And Bishop really has enjoyed her visits.  She’ll just come over and cry at the door until I let her in.  Then playtime is on until I get tired of her barking and yipping.

Then our neighbor down the road brought home an Old English Sheepdog.  And although he adored him, he found raising a puppy to be a challenge he wasn’t quite ready for.  I understand.  You may recall our struggles with potty training Bishop.  You may recall how dangerous it can be to have a puppy constantly under foot.

So, we fielded regular phone calls.  Our neighbor was pleased with how well we had raised Bishop and wanted our input.  We went over for frequent training sessions.  We brought Bishop over to help socialize him.  We lent him the kennel we had used for Bishop.  We did what we could.  Rachel and I went over to visit here and there.  S and I went over to visit here and there.

Well, we received an SOS on Thursday night.  It was in the middle of the Panther game, about 9pm, but since he sounded desperate, we walked over.  Bo was bouncing off the walls.  He had single paw-edly wrecked the house.  And our neighbor was at wits end.

neighbor: Nicki, you two have a special bond.  Look at the way he looks at you.  I’ll give him to you as a wedding present.

Now this is a purebred AKC registered dog that cost more than Bishop.  And that’s saying something.  On top of that, I did love this pup.  I had been spending much time with him.  And we had been looking for another dog.  Timing is everything.

So, we convinced our neighbor to try to give it another week before he made any decisions.  We figured that would give us time to finish up everything needed doing before the wedding and in the meantime, he might finally get on track with the dog.  It was a good plan.

And our plans never quite turn out as we expect.

That’s why there was a knock on our door at 6:15 Friday morning.  S and I were up and getting ready for our day.  We went out in the garage and found our neighbor looking completely worn out.  He had a box of dog biscuits and all of Bo’s papers.

neighbor: Nicki, please take him.  If you won’t, he’s going to the animal shelter.

There was a chance that Bo might find a nice home there, but I knew he would have a nice home with us, too.  I knew that Bo adored Bishop.  I knew Bishop needed a playmate.  I knew that with a family, this puppy would flourish.

And so I took him.

He’s learning how to go potty outside.  Before us, at 13 weeks old, he had only gone outside to go potty about three times, according to the owner.  He’s learning not to destroy things.  We give him puppy toys.  He’s learning to listen.

Bishop is the best big brother ever.  He has completely helped with the potty training.  He is teaching him how to play.  And he sets a good example all the time.

We are blessed.

Even S commented on it the other night.  He was looking around the house, marveling how his bachelor pad has turned into a home.

S: I never imagined I’d have such a big family so soon.  Look at us.  I bought this three bedroom house hoping to have a family one day.  Now, we have some kids, a couple dogs, a couple cats.

He looked at me then.

S: And I have you.

Yeah, he does.  Life is good.

Posted in Bo Tales | 2 Comments »