the christmas puppy

A long time ago, on another Christmas, Miss Rhonda at Headlines suggested that I go to the shelter and adopt this cute little puppy that was pictured in the local paper.  I tried to raise the 40 dollar adoption fee at work, and several of my friends came through to meet the goal.  By the time I got there, the one in the paper was gone.  I wandered around peeking in cages and talking to the babies and I found this one.....THE one.  She was a tiny little brindle thing with sad eyes and a warm heart and I named her Hope.  Later on, her name got changed to Butterbean but she was still the same loving ornery little rat terrier mix.  She fell off the porch when she was a puppy and broke a leg, which we didn't discover until it had already healed. Because of that injury, she never quite ran straight with one leg flung into the breeze as she romped.  We buried her a little over a year ago in a somber funeral held under the pines lit by headlights.  It was bad ya'll.

Later on, our friend Conner brought a little stuffed pound puppy as a sympathy gift, and it became Sam's favorite toy.  Fast forward to this year, about two months ago at the beginning of pecan season.  I kept noticing this little black and white dog following the pecan man around when I came in or out.  Babygirl had seen him down the road with some people who were just sittin' in the road like it was a normal thing to do.  Dude turned out to be neighbor's cousin.  One afternoon BG noticed that he had a big chunk out of his back with an open wound.  Very clean edges....like it was done precisely and painfully.  Pretty soon he started hanging on the porch and in the yard with Faith and Sam and decided to become one of us.  We had already called and reported possible animal abuse but I contacted them again and an investigation was started.  Thus began the adoption process for Oscar, or "Ockie" as he is now known.  That was my great grandpa's name....the one who worked for KW Rogers and walked to work from Pate Street.

My sweet mama gave me the adoption fee as an early Christmas gift and it was only then that I saw the connection to pound puppies and faith for me and mine.  Sam is a Memorial Day dog, by the way.  His mom and grandpa brought him out to "play in the country" and he's been my faithful guardian ever since.  Ockie's wound is almost healed (again) and he and Sam love too play, giving the ever large and lazy Faith a chance to nap some more.  Poor girl couldn't retrieve a bird if her life depended on it.  Seriously.

I am thinking about things differently this season, obviously.  Making the commitment to not spend money that I don't have has put me in survival mode, but I see the light at the end of the tunnel.  I just hope it's not a train!

Peace love and rock 'n roll ^j^