My sister-in-law, Mary (or Little Mary as the family calls her since she is one of two), is a dog lover. She lets her dog lick her (!) and sleep on her bed (!); and she even reads books about dogs and dog breeds. More than once, she has begged me, "Laney, please don't ever get a dog!" because she has heard more than one "ewww" or "go away dog!" come out of my mouth towards one of her canine friends.
Well, I don't know what came over me, but about a month ago I agreed to take full ownership of a chubby little lhasa apso dog. My sister's friend needed to find a new home for her dog because she was gone during the day for long hours; and in his lonely and irritated state, he would destroy her house. My sister asked if I knew anyone who wanted a dog; so, thinking of my mother-in-law who is also a dog lover and always on the lookout for a cute little dog, I got the scoop on the little pup.
I don't know what it was about this little dog, but my interest was peaked. I spent time reading more about the breed and decided that he would be a perfect dog for us and that we needed him. He is older, but not too old, house-trained, small, loves to travel, loves to be around people, and (most importantly) doesn't shed. It just seemed like an opportunity too good to pass up. And something about having a dog-- a small thing that would love me without talking back-- was very appealing.
So we are now the proud owners of Nicodemus-- a fluffy, soft, somewhat overweight, lhasa apso four-year-old. He's incredibly sweet and loves all of us, especially me-- usually without talking back. He follows me everywhere. He lays in the living room while I work and when I go into the kitchen or the bathroom or some other space in our little home, he follows me and lays down in that room. He loves to go on outings, especially in the car, and has claimed the front seat as his spot. When it's time to go, he waits at the top of our stairs just outside our front door until I go down first, and then he follows me down-- he won't go with the kids, he wants to make sure I'm coming too.
After we had him a couple of weeks, I had to leave him and the kids with Grandma so I could attend something for work or school (can't remember which-- my life's a blur...). When I got back after a couple days, he was the first to greet me. He jumped up on me (which he never does to anyone) and licked me. Then I sat on the couch and he laid across my lap for about 20 minutes (which he also doesn't usually do). It is nice to be loved so much. I mean, I know my kids love me, but they are less dependent on me (which I'm glad for-- they are old enough that mom shouldn't be the center of their lives). So it's fun to have Nicky. In fact, having a dog makes me feel like we are a "real" family for the first time since Carter died. I think Nicky is a blessing to all of us, and especially to me.
In fact, he's so great that I've decided I'm a lhasa apso convert-- I'll probably have one the rest of my life. They are great little dogs; even if I have to put up with listening to people mispronounce his breed name (I've heard people say "apso lapso" "lapso apso" "lhasa ahsa" "lapa lapa" and any number of stupid pronunciations). So aside from that and their typically stubborn natures, I think they are perfect dogs.
So, am I a "dog-person" now? No, not really. I mean, I let Nic lick me (!), and he sleeps on my bed (everyone who knows me very well has just fallen off their chairs). But I'm not going to start reading dog books, and I still get a little grossed out by some other dogs. I guess it's like having kids-- you may not like all children, but you sure as heck love yours. And I do love my little dog. He's just what we needed.
If we did all the things we are capable of doing, we would literally astound ourselves.
Thomas A. Edison
