Never Say Never

Going into a career as a vet tech, I knew that my biggest temptation was going to be wanting to adopt any of the various animals that would come my way. But I figured that I wouldn't have to deal with that temptation until I was mostly done or done with school and actually working. Famous last words.

I've never liked small dogs. They're tiny, annoying creatures who bark way too much, behave ridiculously, and are generally just a nuisance. I've also never been as fond of female dogs. I honestly don't know why, probably just the fact that I've only ever owned male dogs. I always figured that after my current three boys passed away, I would get another medium or large dog, preferably a medium-sized one. But life it seems had other plans for me.

The last half of the semester for one of my classes involved going over to Eastside Animal Services

Our first meeting!

and working with the dogs and cats there to practice our physical exam skills. Naturally, our teachers wanted us to have experience with large and small dogs. However, while there was an abundance of large dogs we could use, there weren't as many small dogs available. On one of those days where my partner and I needed a small dog, we found ourselves with even fewer options than usual. We wanted a dog that would be relatively easy to work with and the one with the sign that said she was shy but sweet seemed too nervous. But without a better option, we chose her. Alice, as she was called, turned out to actually be quite sweet. She was a pug/chihuahua mix and pretty darned adorable. She tolerated all the indignities of going through a physical exam without any complaints. We carried her back to her kennel after we were done and that was that. Or so I thought.

More and more, I've discovered that I have a love for older pets. They're the ones who are abandoned because they are old, aren't as cute as a puppy, or have different health issues. For me, yes, puppies and kittens are adorable and I could happily play with them all day, but it's the older ones who really

grab my attention. Alice was 10 years old, so she was one of the dogs that caught my attention. As the weeks went by I kept thinking about her; for whatever reason, I could not get her out of my head. Yes, she was a small dog, but she wasn't yappy, she wasn't so nervous that she was going to pee everywhere, and she really did seem sweet. Long story short, the weekend after finals, I ended up adopting a small female dog named Alice. And she is the light of my life.

I love my boys, I really do. They're all well over five years old and age is catching up to them, but they are still overall the same rambunctious and oftentimes obnoxious boys that they have always been. Alice on the other hand is perfectly content to either sit on my lap, lay in her bed, or lay curled up against me. But she's also turned out to be a little spitfire who's ready to go at a moment's notice. Her excited dance when it's time to feed her never fails to make me laugh.

And it turns out that she's not quite the shy little dog she appeared to be when I first saw her. She's actually quite vocal making a huge variety of sounds throughout the day. She loves to have her belly rubbed and if there is a sheet or blanket around, she will burrow into it. She does bark, but I

find that it doesn't annoy me. Must be because she's mine. She does have little dog syndrome in that she woofs at my boys and thinks she is all big and bad. They could easily eat her in two bites if they had a mind to but don't tell her that! She hates being separated from me. She'll bark and scratch at the door until I come back or my parents get her attention. And she loves to be carried around. My parents and I joke that we should put her down so she can get some exercise but to be honest, we don't carry her around that much, certainly less than she would like.

All in all, adopting her has been on of the best things I've ever done. I love her to death. And she's the first dog that has truly been my dog as in I'm responsible for all her vet bills, buying her food, etc.

My parents certainly help with feeding her if I'm out or just keeping her occupied so that she's not stuck in her crate, but all of her bills are my responsibility. So far I've found that that's been a good thing for me. I have to be more careful with my spending, I have to set more money aside for any future vet bills and it's helping me create better habits.

So it turns out, all little dogs aren't bad. To be fair, she's basically the only small dog that I've ever truly liked/loved and that will probably remain true unless I adopt another small dog somewhere far in the future. But for now, I'm happy to have my little girl with me and just enjoy laughing at her antics and spending time cuddling with her. And more than anything, adopting her has only made my support of adopting senior dogs stronger. Just seeing the change in her when she realized that she had a home and wasn't going to have to go back to a kennel full of loud, barking dogs was enough to sell me on adopting again in the future. And don't get me wrong, I have nothing against purebreds. I have a big lovable idiot purebred Golden Retriever who's going on 12 years old and still acts like a 2 year old. If a purebred is what you really want, then go for it! But also consider adopting a shelter dog and giving them the loving home and family that they so need and deserve. They can be just as loving and loyal and sweet as a purebred, sometimes more so. And getting to see their personalities grow and develop is one of the most rewarding experiences imaginable. :)