12/28/08

Puppies make the world go round. Well, okay, they make MY world go round.

Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooh!!!

Okay, so last night, my friend Lindsey called me asking for advice.

Now, it wasn't the usual advice I tend to give.

No.

She wanted puppy advice.

You see, I took a few courses on animal vet care and have read my fair share of dog books, lectures, medical blahdeblah, so on and yada yada yada. I'm a huge nerd like that. Almost all of my friends know this, so whenever they have doggy problems, I'm usually the first person they turn to if they can't figure it out on their own/the web.

So Lindsey's sister wanted to get her kids a puppy for Christmas, but the plan had fallen through at the last minute. The kids knew, and so they were extremely upset. Lindsey tried to look online for dog breeders and for information on puppies and kids and stuff. When her search proved fruitless, she called me, all frantic and frazzled and quite desperate.

For clarification purposes, my statements will be the bolded quotes.

"KIIIIIIIKAAAAAAAAAAAAA, I NEEEEEEEEEEEEEEED YOUR HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELP!"

"Er... Uh, okay? You're gonna need to be a bit more specific, hun."

"Puppy help, please?"

"Ah. At your service."

"What's a good dog breed for kids?"

"... Ages, number of, housing situation?"

"3 and 5, obviously two, townhouse."

"Yard?"

"Uh, kind of."

"I'm assuming small."

"Yeah."

"Okay. Now, define townhouse. Where at, exactly?"

"Right in Cambridge, down Old Main St. S."

"Those tall, skinny things down on 19th?"

"Yeah."

"... Alright, give me a second to think... Why are you asking, anyway?"

"Because my sister wanted to get her kids a puppy, but she wasn't able to do it for Christmas and they're suuuuuper upset because they knew about it and now she's trying to find a puppy for them and I'm trying to help but Google is being stupid and I can't figure anything out and UGH!"

"... Okay... Breathing is good for you... Alright. My best suggestion is a smaller dog, probably not a puppy. Adult size would be about knee-high, and you're going to want one that's not gonna want to run around like crazy, dig holes, chase things, or get into everything. Honestly, though this isn't a knee-high dog, I would suggest a retriever, though not a lab. Unless you want a dumb dog." No offense to labs, but for real, they are NOT that smart unless they are extremely well trained.

"Okay. I don't suppose you'd want to help me pick one out like, in person?"

"... Elaborate please."

"There's an adoption thing tomorrow down at the Burnsville PetCo, and I wanted to go there and scope out a puppy for her."

"That's not a bad idea, adoption is a wonderful way to go. Sure, I'll go. I could use a pick-me-up, and puppies always put me in a good mood."

"Great! Thank you so much!"

"Any time, hun."

So, about an hour later, she calls me back and tells me her sister found a Huskey/German Shepherd mix pup. Not exactly what I would pick for the family's situation, but it's not my place to say anything. She still wanted to go to the adoption thing, and we hadn't seen each other in a long while, so I was game. Hello, puppy palooza, like hell I was gonna say no.

To say the least, I woke up rather late to her calling me at about 12:30 pm, ran around like a chicken with my head cut off getting ready to leave, and got there around 2. She lives down on the north side of St. Paul with her fiance Charlie and his family, who loves me because I pwn. :D

We got to the PetCo at about 2:30 or so. Let me tell you this; Minnesota drivers tend to be stupid as shit.

Seriously.

Anyway, we get there, and we just about die from the adorable-ness that is puppy/dog happy goodness. We pet almost every canine, got to take a few out of their kennels, and had to force ourselves to leave around 3:45.

Before I continue, there is something I must admit.

I fell in love.

With a white German Shepherd puppy named Sarah.

OH MY GOD, SHE WAS SO ADORABLE! After I'd put antibacterial stuffs on my hands (puppies are extremely susceptable to the Parvo virus, which can kill them within 24 hours, and which we carry) and forked over my driver's license (apparently people have been known to walk away with the puppies...?), I was allowed to hold Sarah, and Lindsey held her twin brother, Seth. She was so soft and calm and sweet, I wanted to take her home right that minute. But the rescue agency who was holding the adoption thing was asking $450 for her, and I didn't have that kind of money on me. Plus, you have to be 21 to adopt from them, and they have a whole list of other requirements that I didn't quite fit. It made me very sad. :(

Also, Mom wouldn't let me have her, even though I argued my case quite nicely, if I do say so myself. She doesn't want any more dogs in the house; we already have four Cocker Spaniels and two cats, though they are mousers/outside cats who stay in the Shop most of the time (the Shop is our old garage, before we build the attached garage several years ago. Dad now uses it as his personal hang-out spot/workshop).

I can understand her point of view, but come on! SHE WAS JUST SO SWEET AND LOVING AND SHE NEEDED A HOME AND I DIDN'T WANT TO JUST LEAVE HER ALL ALONE! D:

>.< Dammit.

Oh well. When I move out, I'll get a puppy.

The rest of my day was as follows:
  • I talked to Ky for a while about why I'd gotten mad at him, then about Sarah. Then he got all retarded on me and was like, "You can't have a puppy, it'll be killed." So I asked why, and he said, "Because I'd kill it? They're just so adorable when they're all bloody and clinging to life and taking their last breath... lol" That's when I told him to remind me NEVER to have his children, and THAT is when the conversation just got super silly...
  • Our friend Tim came up and we watched Blood and Chocolate, which was amazing, but an extreme disappointment since I'd read the book and it SO didnt follow the book WHATSOEVER.
  • I got to talk to Gizmo (Charlie's dad), who is just way too much fun to talk to. Apparently he wishes a girl like Me was dating Charlie instead of Lindsey, because the two of them are way too different. Which I can understand, but y'know, they love each other, and I'm sorry, I have Ky and I don't like Charlie that way. Gizmo replied, "That's a shame... I wouldn't mind having you in the family at all." I must warn you all now, that family is nothing if not the epitome of nerdness. Star Wars, Dungeons and Dragons, WoW, sci-fi conventions... Yeah... I can only be so nerdy myself, that just goes too far for me. I still love them anyway, because they're all super awesome, but I don't think I could handle living in that household.
  • Lindsey came back to Cambridge with me to stay at her sister's, and we got to meet the new puppy named Kiana, and watch 28 Days Later, which James said I had to see. I don't know why, it was really REALLY weird toward the end. Gizmo recommended it, too, though, so I borrowed it from him.
  • I came home and looked up more information on the rescue group from the adoption thing. They're called Homeward Bound, and I highly suggest you guys look them up. You can find their information at: www.homewardboundrescue.com I also sent them an email praising them for their wonderful adoption thing and asking for more information on Sarah and Seth. For real, check out their website!

And then I got on here and started typing. :D Yay, we've come full circle!

Next, I'll get to catch some Zzz's! Double yay!