Puppers
by Kelli Bowen
Hubby and I have this ancient, I think relatable marriage issue. I want all the critters, and he does not. Now it’s been this way almost our whole marriage. I want to give some little critter a home, and he claims he does not.
When we were first married, I wanted a pug. He wanted an Australian shepherd. Naturally, we ended up getting a pug: Tugger.
Throughout the course of Tugger’s time with us, somehow he was mysteriously and magically turned into Hubby’s dog. Once we bought our first house, we decided Tugger needed a friend, so along came Jack: another pug.
Jack was an emotionally wrecked little dog, but he found out quickly that Tugger knew where the best snacks and nap spots, so they became fast besties.
Then the small humans showed up, and the pugs were getting old…so that familiar itch came again. This time in the form of a doppelgänger from my youth named Denali. She looked very similar to a farm dog I had as a kid: Pepper.
When we brought Denali home, Hubby volunteered to run home at lunch to let her out and run her a bit-it was closer for him. I’d get videos of them playing midday fetch or Denali getting belly rubs. The dangdest thing? She became Hubby’s dog too.
Years ticked by. Tugger passed at the age of 15. Jack, not to be outdone, made it to 17. Denali is solo (if you don’t count the cats) and seven. Maybe it’s because it’s year seven; am I getting the seven-year itch?
I keep perusing the Facebook adoptable dogs. I’ll flash Hubby a photo. He rolls his eyes, but then says, “Maybe we need two.”
We even took Denali to meet a potential brother, but two stubborn shepherds does not a good first meeting make.
Hubby has a big birthday coming up. The last thing he says he wants is a dog, but…I’m not convinced. Maybe a new puppers is just what we need.
Although I have been researching yaks. Hmmm…
Kelli, a North Dakota girl through and through, has made her home from the eastern prairies to the western badlands with her supportive Hubby, two daughters, and ever-growing menagerie accompanying her along the way.