I’d been considering getting a dog for a good while. I had
done the list of pros and cons, calculated a budget, talked with friends and
family about the commitment, spoke with my landlord, planned out life with my
dog….everything short of actually getting the dog (I even had a collar, toys,
and doggie hiking gear). But when the time finally came to actually start
looking, nothing seemed to go the way I planned. So, after my completely futile 2 week search,
I thought that maybe I needed to wait. I laugh about it now because when I decided
to be patient, Kaden found me!
I remember when I first started talking about wanting a dog,
one of my friends suggested I look into getting a German shepherd. My focus, however, was on the other side of
the spectrum: a cogi mix! Small, full of energy, cute, and cuddly! I was focused
on a small dog because I felt that is what kind of a dog I could provide an
adequate home for considering the size of my apartment. So, naturally, when my
friend said German Shepherd, I was hesitant. She was right of course I could
“handle” a big dog. In fact, in the history of my life we only had one small
dog in our family. Needless to say, I am
beyond grateful that my friend continued to ask how my search was going and
encouraged me to attend adoption events and talk to the people at the German
Shepherd Rescue of Orange County(GSROC).
It wasn’t long ago that I came home from a long Saturday and
sat down for a minute to check my email before I crawled into bed. As I read through the titles of the new
emails in my inbox, I tried to subdue the excitement shooting through my veins
when I saw one from the rescue. The email
stated that there was an opportunity the next morning to meet one of their dogs
who needed a foster home. He had been put up in a kennel and really needed a
change of scenery and would benefit greatly from some TLC in a home. I honestly thought, “is this real life? I
totally must be dreaming!”. OF COURSE I
WANT TO MEET KADEN! (I was much more professional than that in my email reply,
of course). So early the next morning I
set out to meet with Kaden and a volunteer from the GSROC; when they brought my
sweet baby boy out to meet me, he bypassed his volunteer friends and came
straight to me.
I think that I knew at that moment that I wouldn’t be able
to let him go, but I did the responsible thing and put off making the decision
for as long as I could. By Friday of
that week, I couldn’t find a reason not to permanently welcome Kaden as a part
of my family. The next day I made my
decision official and began the journey of parenting
my very handsome rescue dog.
Hours after welcoming Kaden home and letting my decision
settle in, we encountered our first major test. While at a friend’s house doing some school-work,
Kaden showed us all how he vocalized his state of being uncomfortable. Yes, folks, Kaden growled. I immediately allowed my mind to rush all the
way to panic mode. In fact, I could
probably paint a pretty vivid picture of what irrational and totally ridiculous
thoughts raced through my mind within a few hours of this happening that are
just that: irrational and ridiculous.
Think Harry Potter and those nasty boggarts. Or you can watch it here. Interesting the spell they use to reverse
their wildest fears: riddikulus. Sounds a lot like ridiculous…which is exactly
my point!
A few days after this little incident my Mom asked me to
tell her what the worst-case scenario could be of my situation. I told her that Kaden could viciously attack
someone and it would be all my responsibility.
“RIDDIKULUS” she said (well she said ridiculous, but you get my point). She also told me that I’d still be living and
that of all people she and I both knew that I could get through it and I’d
still come out all right in the end.
I believe that I am a person that can blow things out of
proportion. It’s a part of me that I am
working on. I’m not sure why I do it but
I go from minor blip in life to catastrophic event in 0 to 60 seconds
sometimes. Perhaps it has something to
do with my life journey thus far, I don’t know.
But what I can tell you is this: think RIDDIKULUS. Have a fear, like Ronald Weasley and those
pesky spiders…RIDDIKULUS! Your dog just exhibited a nasty behavior
habit….RIDDIKULUS! What about those financial problems and the stressful
environment at work…RIDDIKULUS!
I know problems don’t go away that quickly, but it provides
you with a new perspective that can change your attitude and your life! I’m all
about that.
You might be wondering about my precious boy, Kaden. He’s doing good! He knows I’m the leader of
the pack and he’s a very good listener.
He’s made friends with anyone he has been uncomfortable around thus far and he’s becoming an even more
well-behaved, well-loved, handsome gentleman each day. If you know dogs, you know they are always a
work in progress. Just like us!
