Say Goodmorning GracieI have been wanting a dog for many years. Back when Holly and I were dating, 10 years ago, she found a little kitten and adopted it as her own and since then I’ve been on deck as it were, waiting for a dog. It’s not that Holly’s not a dog person, it’s just that sometimes you put off things and it just takes you a little longer than you anticipated. After that first little kitten, 3 more found us over time and so we’ve had our hands full and we just shelved the idea of getting a dog for awhile.

About a year or so ago, I started making plans to get a dog. I love our cats, but I was ready for a dog. So, like most men would do, I bought a few magazines and books on the subject and began researching what kind of dog was right for me. That’s the thing with choosing a pet versus having one show up on your doorstep, it becomes much harder choosing the “right” dog. I think I made it harder on myself because I began thinking of the old addage that a dog and it’s master begin to look alike. That was certainly true last night watching American Chopper and seeing Paul Sr. with his Bull Mastiff. With that in mind, all my thoughts have been on finding a cool dog. I want a dog like I envision myself to be, not what I’m truly like. I’m just glad there’s no such thing as a couch potato dog. 😉

So today I arrive at one of my client sites nice and early and I’m greeted by a furry little puppy. They have a large home office and it seems that they found this dog last week and it’s been making the rounds throughout the neighborhood in search of a home. The thing is, I had seen this dog before. A few weeks back, as I was leaving this client’s office, I saw a small puppy playing with some children at the corner of the street. I was instantly struck by how cute the dog was and almost stopped to ask, but I was in a hurry and just kept driving. My first thought when I saw the puppy, was “this is the same dog!”

All the while I was doing the work I had been called in to do, everyone was pressuring me to take the dog home. Although I wanted nothing more than to do just that, Holly and I had not discussed it and I just couldn’t see her saying yes. There’s too much going on right now and we’re in the middle of a tiling project, yadda yadda yadda. Besides, I’ve used up my “get out of jail free cards” with some bicycle and gadget purchases that were not discussed before hand, so I knew my luck was up. I don’t know how I did it, but I managed to resist the urge to scream yes at the top of my lungs and rush home with the little dog.

On my way home, I called Holly to let her know how strong I was. I told her the whole story and my intentions were to simply get a pat on the head for being so strong. However, when Holly said in her oh so sweet and gentle voice, “Michael, if you want the dog, you can have the dog.”, my jaw dropped. I was in shock. “I can have the dog?” I asked. “Yes..” I don’t know what she said next, because all I could hear was my tires squealing as I slammed on the breaks and turned the car around. Back at my client’s office, I bounded up the stairs in search of my client. I must have had a goofy grin on my face because of the employees said, “Are you getting a dog?” in a gesture of happy teasing. 5 minutes later we were driving back to my house.

I’m not an expert, but my best guess is that she’s a Cocker Spaniel with maybe something else mixed it. Holly thinks she could have some Irish Setter in her too. I don’t know that I ever would have picked this breed from all my books and magazines, but she seems perfect to me. So, what’s her name? Well, I named her “Gracie” because it was by the grace of God that she found me.