Sometimes you rescue the dog, sometimes the dog rescues you

There were plenty of reasons not to do it and I had consistently talked myself out of it convinced there would be a better time for it Yet on March I unveiled myself at a pet rescue walking in the door still not entirely convinced getting a dog was a good idea I m just going to look I reported myself See what they have Maybe they wouldn t even have any Related Articles Would you like to see where the monarchs are There s an app for that RIP Claude Beloved albino alligator at Cal Academy of Sciences in SF dies at Jumping close encounter humpbacks thrilling passengers on the sea Coyote that bit two children near California mall euthanized Will cat ever let her human parents love her I d had dogs before but my favorite had been a little apple-headed tawny Chihuahua named Pandora Pandora was simpatico and I stated her my darkest deepest secrets Not that the pre-teen me or even the post-teen me had multiple secrets to tell But she was a good listener I knew that if I ever got a dog it would be another Chihuahua but the adult me had drifted to cats Given my crazy schedule as a newspaper reporter they were more agreeable to my long and sometimes odd hours But I never gave up the Chihuahua dream I just had to wait until the perfect time until I in the end realized it would never be the perfect time There would perpetually be reasons to say no I just needed one reason to say yes and I determined it in a room of yapping Chihuahuas Now that I d veritably made it through the door I advised myself not to rush I d just ask to see any Chihuahuas they had and see if one caught my eye And boy did one ever He was a short and a bit chunky Chi and in a sea of Chihuahuas he stood out He was almost solid black with a white blaze on his chest and when I met his eyes I knew there was no way I was leaving without him I paid the adoption fee bought him a purple collar and leash and got a new sturdy carrier They declared his name was Kennedy but I already had chosen a different name for him He was Bailey When I got home with Bailey I discovered he d thrown up in his new bed and five minutes after walking in the door he hiked his leg and christened the kitchen cabinet But it got better from there I learned he didn t like traveling in cars and he didn t like traveling in cars inside his carrier The only long distance trip I made with him to visit family in Phoenix we had to stop at every rest area so he could stretch his legs and let go of his panic Bailey loved squeaky toys hated cats and didn t like walking in the rain He saw me through specific hard times including the deaths of my mother and a sister He comforted me He made me laugh He hogged the bed and sometimes made me get up at a m to take him outside He was with me invariably until Dec when at the age of he crossed the Rainbow Bridge to run with other Chihuahuas and keep all the pets in line He was a tiny little guy but he leaves a giant hole in my heart He was the best dog ever and I miss him beyond words The Animal Life column runs on Mondays Contact Joan Morris at AskJoanMorris gmail com