Found!

We are animal lovers. Animals are amazing... each in their own unique way. And they bring great joy to loving owners. That being said we aren't necessarily "dog people" although we have owned dogs in the past. And even though we currently own two cats, we are barely cat people.

How can we be animal lovers, but not love owning animals? That's primarily because pet ownership is hard work! And we love animals so much that we want to be the best at owning them that we can be, but with three (animals) children already and an extremely full life besides we don't have much time for being world's best pet owners. I know, I know... lots of important people have pets and make time in their busy lives for them. Doctors. Lawyers. Heck, even the President has time for a dog... but not us.

Another reason that we shy away is because we get extremely emotionally attached to the animals in our lives. We feel enormous guilt about leaving the pet (especially a dog) behind. I am not talking about death... not even a lengthy vacation. We feel guilty leaving the dog for just an afternoon. See what I mean about extremely emotionally attached?

Then there's the money factor. Inevitably, something bad (read costly) happens to them. Take Brick, for instance. Ben found him on a job site in the early spring of 1994. He was a tiny kitten probably too young to be away from his mother, but there he was making his way over a pile of bricks (hence the name) in a rainstorm... starving, lonely, and afraid. Ben took him in and fed him out of his lunchbox. He became an instant member of our family. In the fall of that same year, Brick was attacked by the neighbor's German Shepherd and seriously injured. The vet said he could do one of three things to our kitty: euthanize, amputate the severely broken leg, or repair the leg in a lengthy and difficult surgery involving pins that would leave no guarantee he'd ever be able to walk like normal. Putting him to sleep was out of the question. Ben couldn't imagine a three legged cat. So, yep, he opted for the surgery. And Brick became our million dollar cat (not literally, but when you've been married for only a few months and you are barely 20 and you are living above your parents garage... it might as well have been). Similar tales of woe could be told about all of our subsequent pets... except Amber, but I am sure her time is 'a comin'.

So this morning we awoke to a beagle meandering on our patio. Holden, who was sitting on the couch, munching his breakfast, and watching Curious George with bleary eyes, perked right up when the words "dog" and "our" were sounded in the same sentence. Yes, the kids have been after us for quite some time for a dog. To tell the truth, about five months ago, the "puppy bug" bit me. The puppy bug is somewhat like the "baby bug" where you see an adorable dog that is well-mannered and lovable and suddenly you want one for your very own. The longing continues until you run across a not-so-adorable and well-mannered dog or baby as the case may be, then the longing suddenly and abruptly ends not to be brought up again... at least not until you get another bite. Another admission... the dog I've been longing for... a beagle. Yes, this is my fantasy dog... a hairless, barkless, poopless beagle named Dash. This is another sign of "the bug"... a fantasy that lives perfect in your head, but is never to be realized because reality ain't perfect.

So here sits this beagle. Thirsty. Hungry. Sweet. Sad. We water him. Feed him... cat food, it's all we had. Pet him. He stays. The kids leave for school. He stays. Ben and I spend an hour picking off ticks... no less than 50... during which he lays submissively actually enjoying the attention, I think. Then Ben and I leave the house with the usual guilty ache in the pit of our stomachs. He stays! We bring home food and tick medicine. The talk of names begins...

I am torn. Ben is torn. The kids are decidedly thrilled. We will put forth a good faith effort to find his rightful home... if he indeed has one. If that is the case, Ben and I will be relieved because we want all animals to have a loving home. But if he stays with us... that's what he'll get.