The Accidental Birthday Gift

On Wednesday, this picture popped up in my facebook feed, posted by one of my knitting club friends, along with a caption: I need to find a home for this adorable little guy. I do not know how old he is. He was abandoned when someone moved out of their apartment. Very sweet. If you have any interest please message me.

Well. I didn't message right away, I just commented something along the lines of him being awfully cute, but that there was no way I was going to get my husband aboard! I texted B the picture, told him the story and his response: "I love it when you initiate serious conversations over text message." I laughed and let it be until that evening. 

Well, later that evening, I brought it up again. I wasn't yearning for a second dog, I was actually content gestating (14 weeks) this baby and adding a second dog once this kid was about a year old. Swarley has been depressed since Chloe's passing, and we knew we were going to add a second a some point. My ears always perk up when I hear of an adoption event on the radio, but I wasn't actively seeking one out. But there was something about that picture, and something about the circumstances that called to me. 

B told me to message her. What was the harm? If she had already found a home for him, then great. You'll feel better once you know. I told him that I was surprised with his reaction; he said that he never liked having a single dog, he just didn't want to start going around to different shelters yet. "If this one falls into our lap, I'm hardly going to say no. Also, you try saying no to your pregnant self."

Well, the dog was staying with my knitting friend's friend. She couldn't keep him, because her one year old lab thought he was a rag doll. She constantly had to keep them separated, and it just wasn't feasible for the long run. We exchanged several messages, I asked all the pertinent questions, and I set up a time for the three of us to go over and meet him. When asking where they lived, I told myself: Ok, if they live far away, we won't go. If they live close by, then that'll be another sign. Well, it turned out they lived about a 5 minute drive from our house, and so we headed out there the next day. I told myself not to get too excited. To make sure he had the right temperament for our family, for Swarley, and most importantly, for Mia. Mia, who is fearless when it comes to dogs, a feeling which is not always reciprocated.

Within minutes of meeting this tiny little guy, Mia declared that she loved him, and that he was her best friend. He licked her face, sat on her (tiny) lap without hesitation, and was just overall incredibly sweet. The woman who had him seemed really attached, so I asked her what she wanted to do. I told her that I liked him, and our only obstacle was to make sure he got along with our Swarley. If she wanted us to go home tonight, we'd bring Swarley back the next day if she wanted to make sure everything was fine before she handed him off. She told us to take him right then, if we wanted to. If we wanted to think about it, I could call her the next day. If things weren't working with our other dog, then please do call her and she'd take him back and keep looking for a permanent home for him. I took him in my arms, we stopped by PetCo on the way home, purchased a collar, and brought him home.

He was a little standoffish of Swarley at first, probably because of his initial experience with a bigger dog, but within minutes, everything seemed completely fine. More than fine, really. Swarley was happy, he was excited, and animated. He had never seemed happier, actually.

A few hours later, we had named him. Roscoe. It is the name I wanted to name Swarley, but I gave in to B's preference (because he had given in to my preference for Swarley over another dog at the shelter that he preferred). Fair's fair. Plus, it was my birthday. So my name choice trumps.

Later that night, he jumped on our bed about a trillion times. Enough times to make us give up and let him -- we are not let your dog sleep in the bed people, so it looks like we'll at least have something to work on!