The Great Puppy Caper

The great puppy caper

So today puppies moved in . They aren't ours but we are caring for them and their mother until they are old enough to have great furever families. I shouldn't have to justify my choices, but being human, I guess it's inherent that I do.

I have, since a small child wanted puppies. We lived in a small apartment and then moved in with my grandmother to her house to help take care of her. Since it was her house, she got the last rule on having dogs, and it was a resounding no. I still remember when my cousin's cat had kittens.... I was so jealous that they got to see baby animals growing up until they were ready to be adopted.( back then it wasn't so much adopted as.."who wants a kitten". )
Kittens were never in the plan for me, I wouldn't be able to breathe, but puppies? We could have done that but I wasn't allowed to. I vowed from the day I moved out of my house that I would have a dog, and I have done just that. 
Ever since I was little though,I have wanted puppies.. Not just a dog( although dogs alone are extraordinary) but baby dogs- puppies. I wanted to experience their fluffy cuteness and watch them develop. Well as you know life moves at lighting speed and some things in life get skipped over , so until now, I have never had the opportunity to have puppies.

Did you ever notice that people always have an I'll get to that mentality? An author once wrote "Cemeteries are full of unfulfilled dreams... countless echoes of 'could have' and 'should have'… countless books unwritten… countless songs unsung".  I think about that sometimes....while I am not ancient, I am definitely not getting younger and neither are my children. The same children I want to have experiences, I could never have like hatching chickens from eggs, seeing deer in the backyard or raising puppies. Am living my childhood through them? Yes but I have never read in the news that a kid who group surrounded by animals and living in the country has gone crazy and killed an entire school. My husband grew up in the country so to speak and I am definitely envious that they he got to experience nature so much more than now.

Is now the ideal time? Probably not. But when I thought about it, when is? There will always be a reason why not to do this and if  we wait for the right time, it may never come. One of the greatest lessons I learned from my mother,came with her death. I learned tomorrow is never promised . I think about that a lot.

So today we welcomed a momma and her 4 babies into her home. Not only are we getting to experience the wonder of their growth, but we're giving back to the universe. We're saving lives. Can we save them all? No, but we can make a difference in some living creatures lives and that is a lesson I want my children to learn. If everyone taught their children to respect life, think about what a better place this world would be.

So , my house is crazy . There are 4 kids, my dad and husband and some very content dogs. I suppose in a "normal" house, I wouldn't have to sneak downstairs and tiptoe to get hot chocolate when I can't sleep in the middle of the night  being very careful not to wake up the troops, lest we have a bark-a-thon. But really who needs normal? Living is for now and normal can be done when we're old and can't embrace the craziness.

I know fostering dogs and puppies  is not the easiest task I have ever taken on  but  when your youngest song looks at you with excitement and wonder and says "Mom, I think we're in heaven. We have 8 dogs in the house"...then I know I did something right.