Wally

This year, on Valentine's Day (no, I didn't plan it that way), I chatted online with a lady who runs a rescue center out of her home (which also happens to be a horse farm) in Lexington, KY. We've been through Lexington a couple of times. The first time we went, someone told us to drive until you see horse barns that look nicer than most people's homes. . . .they were right.

So, she was looking for someone to foster a bassett hound puppy. They had originally planned on keeping this particular puppy, but her shitzu and lhasa apso (why do all fancy dogs have fancy names?) didn't get along with the puppy. I told her I would be willing to foster the puppy temporarily until she found him a home. So, she agreed to meet us in Paris, KY and the boys and I set off. (Joey was sleeping as he had to go to work that night). We met at a gas station and collected the puppy and his bag. His bag???? YEAH.

So, we headed for home and arrived about 20 minutes before Joey was due to leave for work. (Oh, yeah, I should probably mention that he had no idea we were going to get the dog.) So, I tell the boys before we get home, that we should wake daddy up slowly and let him get used to the idea of the dog before we show him the dog. They agreed. . . .until we walked in the door. Then they promptly woke up daddy by shoving the new puppy in his face. He smiled (to them) while giving me a "why in the world would you bring home a dog to our little temporary apartment where we have no intentions of staying and have a backyard the size of a stamp" look. He motioned for the boys to take the dog out of the room and as soon as they were out, started mumbling stuff about "making him the bad guy" and "we don't need a dog right now." My only defense was that he was "just a foster dog, not a keeper" and "this was only temporary." Other than that, I said very little, but was thinking how rude he was being. . . and on Valentine's Day!! Ok, so he had no idea this "present" was even coming, but he could've been a little nicer. He stomped out to work and I got the boys to bed and then snuggled in bed with the new puppy.



Early the next morning, I was lying in bed awake thinking how, (after a good night's sleep), I could see Joey's point. We were in a small apartment with an even smaller backyard. Things were cramped enough for us and two boys, especially since they were used to a farmhouse on 16 acres. Needless to say, we were already having to make huge adjustments, and I want to bring a dog into it!? Then I heard the front door open. I laid there quietly in the dark. I heard the puppy get off his bed and clickey clack on the hardwood floors towards Joey. It then occured to me that Joey hadn't really even seen the dog in the light. The night before, he had barely given the dog a second look. I held my breath, and heard Joey say "Hey little man. . .you need to go outside?" I smiled, sank back into the pillows, and thought, "Yeah, he's not going anywhere."

I called Lisa later that day and told her "Wally" was "a keeper". Happy Valentine's Day, Joey!