Getting a Puppy

The summer of 2018, my family was on a week-long vacation in Chicago. On our last day in the city, my parents gathered my siblings and I in our hotel room to, shall I say, make an announcement.

They explained that we were going to need to hold some  “things” in the car. Of course, we were all super confused, as we should have been. I mean; what in Chicago were they talking about?

My train of thought was interrupted just then when our dad handed us a bunch of dog toys and food bowls.

My brain was shouting at me, “We’re getting a dog! We’re getting a dog!”

But of course, I didn’t say anything. I mean, just think about it. What if we WEREN’T getting a dog? Then I’d just look stupid. So I stayed quiet.

Now, let me just tell you that I tried to stay calm, but it was extremely difficult! I had literally been begging for a puppy for what seems like my entire life!

It turns out that I was right about that dog thing. My mom and dad began to tell us all about our new puppy. He’s a maltipoo, he was born in Indiana, his name is James etc. Apparently, we were going to rent a car and drive down to Indiana to adopt him.

My Dad left for the rental car and we stayed back at the hotel. None of us could stop thinking about our dog, our dog, our dog! When he returned had rented the car, we loaded our suitcases into the trunk and drove into the country.

After four long hours of driving, Dad pulled the rental car into a dusty driveway.

We ran to a chain link fence; behind it, dogs ran and tumbled about! And I’m not going to lie, at that moment, I felt like my head was going to explode! So much was happening so quickly!

The dog breeder, Matt, stepped out of a little white building and gathered us inside.

Our parents began to talk to Matt for awhile and my siblings and I sat at a couch, long awaiting the moment when we were able to meet our new dog!

And let me just say this: Matt and our parents talked for ETERNITY about dietary needs, puppy health, training, sleep, and a bunch of other things. When would it end?

Finally, he left the room, reappearing moments later with a tiny puppy under his arm! He set the puppy down on the floor. Yep: that was James.

At first, he seemed a little bit scared. How could I blame him? But that night in the hotel room in Indiana, James was racing around and playing tug-of-war with our Dad.

I think that we were all relieved to see that he was getting more comfortable.

Anyway, that’s the story! Nothing more, nothing less. Unless you want to get into greater detail and talk about sneaking James past the hotel receptionist, swimming at the hotel pool, and eating soft serve ice cream.

😀