Reunion

On this very special day, I ran into a video that warmed my heart. Exactly two years ago today, Shea officially became our puppy. I had read up on all the important things to consider when choosing your new pup from the litter. You want a puppy that is not over aggressive, but not the one who hangs out in the back and allows other to walk all over him. You may not want to chose the biggest pup in the litter, as they tend to be rather domineering. As one would imagine, it is quiet the opposite with the runt. They are the push over and come across as almost too reserved. Keeping all of this in mind, I chose Shea out of the other puppies based on two things. One, he had the best looking face; more handsome than the others by leaps and bounds. And even more importantly, after much research, I chose Shea because he was the first puppy that I held and I never wanted to put him down. In fact, I didn't. I held him the entire ride home from Lake Placid.

Having never had a pet before, of any kind, I had no idea how to take care of this thing. I would have been better off with a baby! Of course, Jeff was not home, so I was stuck with this cute little alien of a creature. When he pooped for the first time in the middle of the kitchen floor, I did what any first time pet owner would do. I wiped his butt! Who knew it is self-cleansing back there? Not me!

Over the past two years I have become more than accustomed to having a dog. I don't know what I would do without him anymore. He has become such an integral part of my life. While Jeff and I are apart, my heart breaks for the fact that Jeff doesn't have the joy of Shea in his life. And vise versa. Fear of Jeff becoming unfamiliar to Shea is something I am faced with on a daily basis. I try to say Jeff's name as often as possible. I try to show Shea Jeff on the computer. I let Shea hear Jeff's voice over the computer and phone. But, who really knows? I can't ask him if he remembers and get an answer.

Today, however, I think I found my answer. Watch this: http://www.break.com/index/dog-goes-nuts-when-soldier-comes-home.html. That man was missing from his dog's life for five months. It brings hope that it is possible for Shea to remember Jeff. Mind you, it will have been a little over two and a half months next time they meet up again. I'd love to see a greeting like that one!

It is definitely true that there is nothing like a boy and his dog!