A Year of Blogging: March 23, 2011

Today is National Puppy Day. You know I've got to write about this! (Besides, my other options are Chip & Dip Day, Organize Your Home Office Day, or Near Miss Day.) I have to admit, I'm a sucker for puppies. I always have been. While Beagles and Basset Hounds are my favorite puppies, especially when they are so little they trip over their ears, Golden Retriever puppies are a close second. I used to make people scout out a pet store before I would go in. If they had beagles or bassets, I didn't go in. One time I didn't send in a scout, and I brought home Cobalt. I think by now everyone knows I got both dogs from the pet store. Next time we will try the shelter, but we got very lucky with both dogs. It was December 13, 2001. I was the jewelry manager at JCP, and since it was Christmastime, it was incredibly hectic. I walked through the mall on my lunch break, and to relieve some stress I went in the pet store. There was a blue beagle puppy. I had never seen a blue beagle, and asked to hold him. They put us in a little boxed area, and the puppy grabbed the hem of my skirt and tugged playfully. I was hooked. I called Erich, he came to see the dog as well, and that night our house welcomed Cobalt. I had never had a puppy. We didn't have pets growing up. My parents had a German Shepherd when they got married, Sarge. They say he was a big dog, even for a German Shepherd. When Mom & Dad watched tv on Saturday night eating popcorn, he dragged his 50 lb bag of dog food into the living room and chowed down with them. My mother had him trained as a guard dog. When neighborhood teens trespassed through Mom & Dad's yard on their snowmobiles, Sarge pulled one off the sled and held him until Mom told him to release. Mom and Dad have many stories of Sarge. They said he was a great dog. They had to get rid of him when I was a baby. My Grandpa leaned over my playpen to pick me up, and Sarge locked his jaws around Grandpa's wrist. Mom and Dad were afraid to have him around me after that, so they called a family friend who had always admired Sarge, and that night Sarge went to his new home- where he lived happily for another 12 or 13 years. I had no idea what I was getting into with a puppy! The housebreaking, the teething, the training. Cobalt had a lot of anxiety issues. We thought having a friend to occupy him during the day would help him. So we went back, thinking maybe they had a litter mate of his. They didn't, but they had a litter of black and white beagles. The sign said 'Just like Snoopy'. Erich picked out Onyx, and I brought her home that night. She was so little, I could hold her in one hand. I bought a carrier for her, and she rode home in the carrier on the front seat next to me. I talked to her the whole way home. When we got home, I brought the carrier into the living room and set it on the floor. Cobalt came over to sniff it. I opened the door to the carrier, and Ms. Onyx took a step out, looked at Cobalt, and slapped his nose with her paw. As he whimpered and wondered what this thing was that had invaded his happy home, she trotted into the room and promptly became the alpha dog. Beagles are perpetual puppies. They are still as energetic as they were when they were puppies, even though they are 9 now. They play, fight, cause trouble, and can be the most lovable creatures you've ever met. Every day they cause me to laugh. A bad day is better with a beagle kiss. While that trip to the pet store changed my life, it changed it all for the better.