Our Pups

So when I was a kid, my sister and I never had the pleasure of owning a pet. Well okay, thats not entirely true, I did keep a turtle for about 3 weeks before I had to give him to the zoo. It turns out that Michaelangelo was actually Michaelangelette and had babies while there. So it turned out better in the end. Haha. Now, looking back, I know why my parents didn't like the idea of pets, but as I grew up I couldn't help but feel like it would have been really nice to own one.

So when Ashley came home with a little rescue from the Petco in Orlando, I was really excited. Back then his name was Truman, and we could tell he had up until that point, had a very hard life. When we took him in he suffered from Heart Worm, his hair was falling out, and he was extremely malnourished. They were going to euthanize him only a week after Ashley saw him.

Instead she convinced the caretakers at Petco to take on the treatment costs, and in exchange we would nurse him back to health and provide a good home. Now, nearly six years later, he's our twinkie on stilts, and one of my best buddies.

Meet Taylor.

Madison's story is somewhat similar, though she was much more healthy when I took her in. Like Ashley did for me a year earlier, I decided that I would get a dog for Ashley. Besides, Taylor needed a playmate at home. Back then we were going through school and it was apparent that we were both away from the house for much of the day.

So I headed to Petco, the same one she found Taylor at, and I started looking about. They sure had a bunch of dogs there, and most were well groomed and had playful temperaments. I chanced a look to my right, away from all the commotion and saw a few cages near the back. There were three dogs that were penned up, and no one was paying attention to them. I happened to stop in front of Madison's cage and decided to see if she'd warm up to me.

Now they didn't have her name printed anywhere, so I had no idea what she was called. She crawled up into my lap, and I could tell she hadn't been washed in several weeks. She was uncomfortable in her own skin, but I knew she was happy to recieve some affection.

I decided then that she'd be coming home with me. Now the funny thing was, Ashley and I had planned several weeks earlier, that we were going to move to Madison when we were finished with school. We had even begun to pack boxes up in the apartment.

So I recieved the paperwork and began to sign it, then asked: by the way, what is her name? I was stunned- her name was Madison.