I always knew, from the time I was a little girl, that I wanted to have more than one child. Growing up as an only child had its advantages, but I always longed for a sibling to be my partner in crime. My parents had different ideas than I, so another child was never welcomed into our family. I believe it was the summer I was 8, that I knew I would have "lots" of children.
Much to my dismay, it looked as if my oldest daughter would be an only child. My body failed me, so my desire to have "lots" of children could not be accommodated by my dysfunctional lady-bits. Unlike myself, my daughter Rose was happy being an only child. There were occasions when she talked about having a sibling, but it was always an older sibling. I delicately explained, that if a sibling ever came along, he or she would be younger.
Before my husband and I made the decision to adopt through the foster care system, I had baby fever. I guess I should clarify and say, I had puppy fever. I bugged, pleaded, and nagged my husband for a puppy. Initially he said "no" because we had an aging great dane, pit bull mix. We had no idea how our old girl would react to an upstart puppy. Our Diamond as a wonderful, sweet, dog. I knew that she would of course she would be great to a puppy!
After weeks of harassment I finally wore my husband down. The three of us went on an adventure and came home with the tiniest puppy I had ever seen. We had our new baby, a miniature dachshund, named Daisy. It was only a matter of days before she was head of the house. Within weeks she had earned the nick-name, Daisy the dachshund of doom and destruction. Daisy was the substitute for the human baby I had wanted, and boy oh boy is she spoiled!
Shortly after we moved to NC, while my husband was on a business trip, I got the "itch" again to open our home to another to another "child". Daisy was very happily spoiled, Paige now our adopted human child was 3 years old, and Rose our oldest was now 10. Determined to rescue a needy dog, I drove to our local ASPCA. It was then that we got our next baby…Roxy.
Poor Roxy had been adopted and returned twice. She was the scruffiest, stinkiest, dog I had ever seen. Her hair was missing in huge patches and her skin bright red. Roxy was suffering from severe skin allergies that had gone untreated. She had never been given the chance at a normal, healthy life because no one ever took the time to care for her. I fell head over heels for her.
You would think that after adopting Roxy that our family would be complete. Nope, not yet. One day while on line I came across a picture of a one-eyed French Bull dog named Willow. Willow had been dumped on the doorstep of a local vet, on a frozen January night. She was so sickly that one of her eyes had to be removed because of infection. After seeing her picture I knew we had to give her a home.
Has anyone noticed a trend yet? I am a sucker for the literal under-dog. Roxy, despite intensive medical treatment, still suffers terribly from skin issues. We are constantly aware of pollen levels, dog food ingredients, and what's in the doggie shampoo. Willow has done well with only one eye. Humans are often the ones at risk when we walk in her blind side. We have discovered that Willow has bladder control issues, thank goodness for medication and doggies diapers!
Our canine family is such a huge part of our lives. When life is extremely stressful because of our youngest's issues, my dogs are always there to provide comfort. Our 3 wacky mutts fill our home with a constant source of love and humor. There are many days when the dogs are the only "people" who listen to me. I thank God everyday for our 4-legged companions, we are blessed to have them in our home.
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