Puppy Love

If you follow me on Twitter, you know that I have recently picked up a puppy. Well, after a month of late night potty trips, biting, snuggling, barking and everything in between, I’ve come to a conclusion: I have no idea how I lived my life before Yadi.

I’ve wanted a dog since I could walk, however, due to my mother’s Martha Stuart tendencies, I was never allowed to get a fur ball of my own. I had a rabbit for awhile, however it did not satisfy my desire for a four-legged friend. I begged and begged and year after year was not granted my wish. So 20 years later when Andy asked me if I wanted to start looking for a family dog, I couldn’t hide my excitement.

There are days in your life that change it forever. This was one of them – July 30, 2011.

The day we went to “look” at puppies did not start off well. I went to spend my Saturday morning getting a pedicure, however halfway to the salon I realized I had forgotten my gift certificate at home. On my way back home, mother nature decided it was a great time for a monsoon, so I ended up crawling back in bed. Andy & I grabbed some lunch and decided to head to the PETCO off Telegraph. Due to the storm, the power was out and the adoptions had been postponed.

We headed back to the PetSmart of Lemay Ferry to look at their adoptions. When we walked in, there was a little pen with four dogs and a cage with two puppies and their mom. The puppies were adorable, but were too young to be adopted. In the pen sat a little beagle mix with big brown eyes. Andy & I both thought he was cute. The lady in charge of the adoption was talking to someone else so we petted him from outside the cage, but you can’t pick out a dog that way. I asked to hold him, and the lady decided it was a good time to question our intentions, living situation, age, etc. Strike two.

Feeling pretty bummed, we got back into the car. “Isn’t there another PetSmart in Arnold?” Andy asked. So we figured that’d be our last stop before heading to a BBQ at his parents. We walk into the store and see plenty of older, larger rescue dogs. Cute, but not what were looking for. Then, at the back of the store, sat a small pen full of dachshund puppies. This little ball of fur was laying on top of a sibling, playing with another siblings paw. My heart sank. The lady in charge of the adoption saw the look on my face and asked, “Do you want to hold him?” It was over. Andy & I were buying a puppy.

From the moment we got Yadi in our arms, we knew it was meant to be. This little puppy was destined to be part of our new family. We signed the papers, picked up some supplies and there we were with our little man. I called my mom on the way to Andy’s parents and said proudly “You’re a Grandma!” She wasn’t as excited as I was until I told her about the fluffy puppy I was holding. We walked into Andy’s parents house with this unnamed pup and a huge smile on our faces. The only one not pleased with our decision was their family dog, Nellie.

Andy’s grandma asked what we were going to name him. We had debated between “Stewie” for Chris Stewart and “Yadi” for Yadier Molina. Watching the Cardinals game that day, only a few days after my Grandpa was able to meet Mr. Molina, we decided that Yadi was the perfect name for this little ball of energy.

Yadi has been a joy, a pain, a relief, a missing puzzle piece, a pee machine, a cuddle buddy and so much more. I never understood the love between man and dog until I came home to this guy. I cried leaving him for work the first Monday after we got him.

A dogs loyalty cannot be matched. When you’ve had a bad day, nothing can make you smile quicker then a wet nose and a lick on the cheek. He’s indifferent – if an argument occurs, he just wants to be loved by both parties, which makes you want nothing but the same. He lights up a room, brings attention to the smallest thing and drives you crazy all at once, but you don’t know if you could ever love something more. Does that mean I don’t want kids later in life? Not at all. But for now, I’m content with my baby being a fluffy, short-legged mutt.

Sorry if I’m late to the puppy party, but then again, Sorry I’m Not Sorry.