Besides finding out my melanoma was stage one and confined to only my nose, the second-best Christmas gift I got this year was a new puppy.
After trying several times to rescue a small older dog and being met with resistance because my yard was not fenced in, I gave up on the idea of rescuing a pet. But it is all good; because somehow and someway, during all my searches, my once resistant husband, Grady, began to “take” to the idea of a new dog.
Even though it has been almost 5 years since we put my precious Scout Henry down, we both still remember the anguish of watching Scout suffer from dementia and incontinence and then having to make the euthanasia decision. After that, Grady and I had decided no more dogs. But things change.
The Change
Grady’s morning ritual is to work out, drink coffee, and read the paper, not always in that order. During his reading-the-paper ritual, unbeknownst to me, he added another step: reading Dogs for Sale in the classifieds. It didn’t take him long to find Yorkipoo puppies for sale in Russellville, Arkansas.
It was love at first sight; from the first time we drove to Russellville to meet her and her litter mates, ‘til the day she came home with us. Born November 5th, our new puppy was weened and ready for pick up just in time for Christmas. When I showed a picture of the puppy to my friend Sherry, she quickly and aptly named her Coco for her French heritage (poodle) and coloring.
Picking Up Coco
On the way to get her, Grady and I were wild with excitement and at the same time doubtfully asking ourselves, “What are we doing?! Potty-training, traveling with a dog, and a 15-year commitment is a lot of extra work and responsibility.
And it has all proven to be true: Lady Coco McCoy requires lots of attention. But, back to my opening sentence, she is a Christmas gift. This Christmas really was about birth: a one-year-old grandbaby and a new puppy.
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