Murphy was an Olde English Bulldog. (A cross of a traditional English Bulldog and an American Bulldog or Bull Mastiff) When I first saw him at a pet store, I fell deeply in love with him. He was adorable. As soon as we made eye contact, I wanted him to come home with me. At the time, we weren't permitted to have a dog at our apartment upstairs. I didn't really care, though. I wanted to have him home with me immediately.
I tried to pull some strings, but couldn't get an official ok. The original plan was to keep the puppy under wraps til he was the permitted 6 months old, then move downstairs where we could have a puppy.
There was a lot of back and forth...should we, shouldn't we...I finally said, yes, let's do it.
Chris brought Murphy home at 3:00 PM on Friday after he slept in late to prepare for his overnight shift. I worked both my jobs - til 6, then til 930, came home, and officially took over puppy duty. There was only a minute or two that we overlapped. I was overwhelmed and felt like everyone was watching us break the rules. (I'm sure no one noticed or cared.) It was the worst time for a puppy - only a night of preparation.
The best decision we could come up with was to take Murphy back to the pet shop to give him another chance to find a great family, one that was more ready to take care of him.
It was difficult, but we still imagine the Murphster playing in a big yard and having fun. He taught us a lot, and helped us to remember what we need to do when we get our upcoming puppy. We're much more ready - time off, schedule, time to plan and shop for supplies.
Still, I'll never forget Murphy and all he taught me in the 18 hours we owned him. Here's hoping you're out having fun!!
No comments:
Post a Comment