"Can we get another dog?"
"Nope," my husband replied. "We already have two, and we have no need for another dog."
"There's always a need for one more dog," I chuckled.
A few weeks after this conversation, my husband headed off to spend a week in Outer Banks without me. Okay, so he went for a work trip. However, I was still stuck in Ohio while he was basking in the glory that is the beach.
"All I need is a yes or no answer. Would you be mad if I adopted a dog while your were gone?" I asked over text message.
"I'm driving right now. Let's talk about this later. I love you!" was his quick response.
I waited a few days for "later" to happen, but later never came. So I decided that no news was good news, and started to browse local animal shelter websites. I fell in love with every dog I saw. However, I needed to find the perfect mix for our family. We currently had a 3 year old German Shepard/Akita mix (90lbs) and a 4 year old Chihuahua/Terrier mix (15lbs) . If I was going to "surprise" my husband with a new dog, I would have to find one with a fun personality and no larger than 40lbs.
After hours upon hours of browsing online, I finally stumbled upon Lincoln. He was sweet 8 week old Border Collie mix who was looking for his forever home. I was just going to go look at him. I wasn't going to adopt him. We don't need another dog. I mean, what's the worst that could happen?
Well, it turns out the worst that could happen is that I would adopt our third dog without telling my husband. He was just too sweet to resist. After researching border collies, I knew he would be the perfect addition to our already chaotic household.
It has been two years since I secretly adopted Parker (formerly known as Lincoln) and I couldn't imagine our life without him. So what if the mix part of his breed is Great Dane? So what if he is just shy of 70lbs when he was only supposed to be 40lbs?
Seriously, who could resist this sweet face?
Your post shows so much about caring and acceptance both with pets and with the relationship between you and your husband. I'm glad you added the photo!
ReplyDeleteYou and your husband seem to have a better understanding of each other than most. It's evident that you share an enthusiasm for dogs and yes, Parker does look pretty irresistible!
ReplyDeleteThis line made me genuinely laugh out loud, "So I decided that no news was good news, and started to browse local animal shelter websites." I mean, that face is irresistible.
ReplyDeleteOh my gosh! Adding a member of your family on the sly - that is risky. I'm glad it has worked out for you.
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