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| Barb Polan Barb's Recovery |
Our latest dog died four years ago. she was a half-black-Lab mutt who was 12 and spent the final two years of her life elderly and fading - deaf, with hypothyroidism and arthritis, along with neuropathy in her hind legs. I have had a dog or two of my own since I was 20 years old - first a black Lab-Newfoundland mix who was the best dog of all time, then a big beagle mix who lasted only until he was 11; while we had that one, we took in a second dog, a black Lab stray who wandered into our yard one day collar-less; none of the animal control officers in the three towns we bordered had received a lost-dog call about a black Lab. We eventually gave that one away to a co-worker of Tom's who was looking for a nice, calm dog.
Along the way, we've also always had a cat or two, with our last one dying a year or so ago. Since her death, we have been pet-free, a condition that my husband appreciates because we can be irresponsible and not have to always return home to tend to a pet.
My husband's father was a vet and both parents are/were animal lovers, so Tom had every pet imaginable when he was growing up - a pony, a pig that terrified him, dogs, cats, turtles, and so on. In fact, he was so not an animal-lover that his Christmas list every year would always start with:"No more pets!!" Once our last cat died, I agreed to Tom's "no more pets " policy, mostly because the last two years of our last cat's and our last dog's lives were so difficult - for both them and for me, wondering if each day were their last. So the policy has stood for more than a year - I figured that since Tom had put up with my pets and the trouble they caused for nearly 30 years, if he wanted a reprieve, he deserved that. In October, though, we visited Tom's cousin who has a summer house in Maine and she had the sweetest dog of all time - a Lowchen, which I had never heard of before. They have hair, not fur, and were bred as bedwarmers for French royalty. The cousin's dog was charming - friendly, eager to please, quiet, loveable and people-centric. Also, while I was in rehab, I was enchanted by the therapy dogs there and decided I want one - a sweet, loving dog who can comfort stroke patients.
When Millie was home, she and a friend looked on the Internet to find a Lowchen to adopt and they managed to find a breeder with one puppy in Webster, New York, the town where my mother-in-law lives. Sounded like it was meant to be. After sending me a pic of the dog, she sent me a follow-up e-mail to let me know a new litter was being born that day - so far, two females and one male had been born, and was I interested?
So, now it looks like there might be a puppy in our future. Tom is not thrilled because of the additional work it will make for him, which is a valid concern when he's aready got a boatload.
See the original article:
Puppy Love
in Barb's Recovery
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