A New Puppy Named Titus!

Sometimes, I don’t want to write about cancer or other serious stuff. Some days are for writing about and sharing about fun news. This is one of those days. And what could be more fun than sharing about a new puppy?

If you’ve been reading my blog for awhile, you already know that my family is a wee bit pet obsessed. Maybe yours is too. Or not. (That’s okay too.) Beloved pets have been the topic of a fair number of blog posts. I listed a few at the end of this one should you be interested in reading one or two of them.

Loving pets also means saying goodbye to them will be part of your life.

That’s the hardest part. Sure, time with pets is limited, but we willingly give our hearts to them anyway. It’s worth it. The joy outweighs the inconvenience and the exasperation. The joy outweighs the heartache, too.

When my dad was in hospice, I struck up a conversation while taking Sophie for a walk one day with a guy who was also visiting a loved one.

“I will never get another dog,” he said with conviction. “I can’t go through losing one again. It’s too hard. It’s just not worth it.”     

I get that; I do. It’s just that I don’t agree with his conclusion. To me, it is worth the heartache. Very much worth it.

Dear Hubby and I picked up Titus on August 5, which just happened to be the date we said goodbye to a very special dear old dog named Elsie. That was seven years ago.

The dates coinciding like that made getting Titus feel even more right. A reminder about the cycle of life or something.

Titus is a French bulldog — an entirely different sort of breed than any we’ve had before. We’ve also never had a male before. It’s going to be a different experience all the way around, which is exactly what we want. A new adventure for sure. We are ready. It’s been too long without a pooch in the house. Of course, Ninja might not agree. Not yet anyway, but I’m confident she’ll come around.

Dear Hubby fell in love with the breed a few years back when we were visiting Dear Daughter and Dear Son-in-Law in California. Every visit there also meant visits to the dog beach (good boy, Ace) where we met dogs of every breed, shape and size, including French bulldogs and, of course, mutts too. Say what you want about Californians, they do love their dogs! Talk about a pet-friendly place!

Since I didn’t care what sort of breed we got, or what sex, I didn’t hesitate to agree to Dear Hubby’s breed choice. I just wanted a dog; I need a dog in my life!

This love of dogs is another special connection to my mother.

My mother loved dogs, and we always had a dog when I was growing up. Then, there was my dad who pretended he didn’t care that much about them, though, of course, we all knew better.

This love of dogs my mother had gave me a sense of satisfaction because some of my friends’ moms didn’t have this same appreciation and tolerance especially for the notion of allowing a dog in one’s house. I was proud to have a mom who did. In my eyes, it was obvious I had the better mom.

As I’ve written about before, I sometimes think about my life in dog chunks, a timeline of dog lives intertwined with mine. There has always been at least one dog in my life at all times, so by the time you get to be my age, this adds up to be a fair number of dogs.

And now, there’s a new notch on that timeline — a new dog life to intertwine with mine. It’s going to be an adventure, I’m sure. A new puppy sorta takes over your life. But in a good way. Mostly anyway.

Welcome to the family, Titus. Can’t wait to get started on this next chapter of my life — the Titus chapter.

Wish us luck.

Thank you for sharing in my happy news!

A few more posts about beloved pets include:

When a Dear Old Dog Has Cancer

Saying Goodbye to a Dear Old Dog

Saying Goodbye to a Dear Old Dog. Again.

Pet Grief Is Real Grief too.

Our Other Cancer Companions

Eye Witnesses and Secret Keepers

A Little Black & White Cat Named Ninja

Tell me about a pet you have or had at one time.

Do you have a new puppy tip or two to share? (I need ’em.)

Do you have some happy news (any kind) to share today?