Must Love Dogs

So my baby leaves for college in September. For the first time EVER, I will be by myself. I am both sad and happy all in one. It is a lot like being one of those chocolate/vanilla mixed cones. Today I am more sad, tomorrow more happy. By September, who knows.

Since I can't figure out if I am more happy or more sad, I decided to be more tired. I have signed up to buy a puppy in August.

All of our pets have been a family decision. By that I mean, I decided and then I pleaded and pleaded some more. Fights broke out. Finally I would give up.

The lovely Herbie was bought in San Francisco during a job interview that the ex had. I went along for a mini vacation and found a puppy I couldn't live without. The ex wanted to take a job that would require him to be out of town for half the week, so he bought the dog with a lot less argument than I was use to. A bribe.

So he became a family dog. I got up in the middle of the night for potty runs. I cleaned up the messes. I took him for his shots. Yep, a family dog.

But now my family is changing and I need to build my own family. I'm starting with a Bernese Mountain Dog. A female puppy. She will be named Anastasia Beaverhausen or Karen for short.

Now you might be saying "My god, what a mouthful! and you would be right. It is from Will & Grace. Whenever someone would meet Karen in a bar, she would explain that it was not Karen but was Anastasia Beaverhausen. I thought it was hilarious and always thought I would name a dog that. Now I can.

So September will seem not quite so lonely. This new puppy will be part of a new stage of life. It will shake us all up. And when we rearrange ourselves, we will be a whole new family. Me, the kid, Herbie, and Anstasia Beaverhausen. That has a nice ring to it, don't ya think?