Diva arrived on the scene in August of 2014. We called her a ‘rescue dog’ even though she is a pure bred. The reason was, we were not intending to adopt or purchase a dog. The second of 2 sisters that we adopted long ago was still around and didn’t seem to want to leave this life. Tipper, the dear sweet old dog, was past the age of taking on a new addition to the family. So, we figured we’d let her go gracefully without subjecting her to a new puppy. My sister was the one looking for a new dog. Her 2 were getting older and she really had her heart set on a Cavalier King Charles spaniel. In fact, she put a deposit down on a female in a litter from a local, small time breeder.
Her dogs and her new husband had other ideas. Her two dogs kept hanging on. She expected the oldest (17) to pass on at any moment, but she didn’t. The St. Bernard grew tired but hung on. My sister’s husband decided against a purebred, preferring a mixed breed from the rescue shelter. That’s how Diva became our rescue puppy. We rescued her from a fate of being unwanted and unloved. We rescued my sister and her husband from losing their deposit. The funny thing is-it was meant to be. I knew that when I had to make a decision. I knew in my heart that Diva was meant to be our dog.
I have never been in love with a dog as much as I am in love with Diva. She is perfect in every way. Even the things she does that annoy me are perfect. Although I fall in love too fast, I was unprepared for the depth of feeling I would have for this small creature. Even Tipper, the old-timer, put up with Diva’s antics. Diva has a way of enamoring herself to you. Even thought she annoyed Tipper and Tipper would snap and snarl, it wasn’t too long before we caught them sleeping near one another. Diva’s funny that way. She worms herself in. To everything and everyone.
We decided to put Tipper down just after Christmas. She was frail and a burden. A week later we began “puppy sitting” a Chihuahua/toy Poodle mix for my step-daughter. She and her family moved to Italy with the military. She found homes for her dogs so that she could visit them and know they were loved. Tank, the dog in question, came to live with us in January. It was difficult becoming adjusted to a male dog. I won’t say it is as true of human males as it is of dogs, for that would get me in trouble, but it was not an easy adjustment. Tank had something to prove and he preferred to prove it by applying as much of his urine as possible. He was and is skittish and aggressive at the same time. He seems domineering but a protector of Diva, again at the same time. He is a good companion for Diva most of the time. Unfortunately for Tank, Diva is so much easier to love and Tank is so demanding. Tank gets the short end of the stick every time.
When we bought Diva, my husband intended to breed her. After all, here was a large investment we had not intended to make and an opportunity existed to recoup our money. What better payback, according to my husband. Plus, we loved Diva so much we figured we’d want one of her offspring, too. We had to wait for the third heat cycle, which is just beginning as I write this. Plus, my husband wants it to be convenient to our workload. (As if that is ever going to happen). In the meantime, we have heard from our groomer how horrible it is to breed your dog when there are so many dogs waiting for adoption. Also, it’s really a pain in the ass to go through the heat cycle. If we wait one more time…I don’t know if I can handle it. Now, neither one of us are sure that the work is worth the pay-off. On the other hand, I felt disappointed when I realized Mitch was thinking about not breeding her. I feel guilty, however, that we didn’t get her fixed immediately. So what do I do? That is the age old question.
What would Jane Austen Grow? 