Alternate titles for this post:
It’s a Dog’s Life
Random Acts of Kindness Not So Kind
While in my car on the way to pick my girls from school the other day, I nearly squashed a small tumbleweed of fluff in the road. Since the petite pooch seemed lost and confused, I pulled over to save her from being roadkill or an alligator’s supper.
We nervously approached each other, but once sitting in the passenger seat a smile grew from ear to ear on her small, feminine fox-like face. “Daisy” appeared grateful to hitch a ride home. Only I didn’t know where home was.
When the girls piled into the car, they immediately noticed the passenger sitting in the front seat. “What is that? Where did she come from? Are we keeping it?” They couldn’t contain the excitement of a new pet in their voices.
“I found her in the road. I need to call the number on her collar to locate her owner. So, she’s not ours to keep,” I said firmly as to not send mixed signals with my heroic act for the day.
But my stern words didn’t stop Allana and Emmalynn from falling in loving with her. They tried to play fetch with her, but Daisy wasn’t interested. Apparently she loves to play dress-up, but then what girl doesn’t love to be a princess and wear tiaras?
All the phone numbers listed on her tag were a dead end and her owners were no longer living at the last listed address associated with her tag and microchip. So, it seemed Daisy would be staying with us for a little while longer and that night, she settled in like she had been here forever.
The next morning, I loaded Daisy and Little Lion Man into the swagger wagon for a trip to our local pet supermarket. If Daisy was going to be staying with us, she would need all the essentials to make her stay more enjoyable. So there I was shopping with a baby and a dog sitting in a shopping cart. Daisy had transformed me into a social deb.
After hearing from the neighbors that we rescued her dog, Daisy’s owner stopped by to claim her. It’s was a bittersweet reunion. How would I explain this to my girls? I anticipated complete devastation once the girls realized they weren’t able to say good-bye to their new friend. Understanding that this could be upsetting for the Allana and Emmalynn, Daisy’s owner suggested I bring the girls around to visit her some time and I took her up on that offer immediately after school.
Unfortunately, our brief visit with Daisy didn’t patch their broken hearts. I tried to explain to the girls that I understood how sad it was for them, but Daisy’s owner felt even worse when her dog had been missing. Daisy wasn’t ours to keep. We were just keeping her safe until we found her family.
The words offered no comfort and at bedtime, the girls sobbed themselves to sleep.
My random act of kindness caused a lot of sorrow in such a short time. Prior to our day with Daisy, I was under the impression that doing good deeds felt good. My friends mentioned that good karma comes your way when you rescue a dog. So why did doing a good deed hurt so badly?
Never wanting pets due to allergies and overwhelming responsibilities when caring for a pet, Allan and I found ourselves second guessing our decision to be a pet-free home.
This morning, I found a note from Allana.
She makes a strong case and I’m easily swayed by money. So, it looks like we may need to find a pooch to ease my girls’ pain.
Parenthood is a dog’s life.
*This post was inspired by and submited to Mama Kat’s World Pretty Much World Famous Writer’s Workshop.*
“Perform a random act of service. And then tell us about it.”
It doesn’t take long for us to bury right into you humans hearts, does it? Every girl or boy needs one of us to fill their lives (and you parents) with joy!
Sandy
http://www.sandysays1.wordpress.com
Oh how quickly those promises will be forgot!
Circle yes, anyway!!!
This note was just PRECIOUS! The mommy in me is thrilled that you are going to be getting a dog for your little angels. The joy on their face and in their hearts will make it all worth it.
Awww her letter melts the heart! Go on get ’em a dog! lol
Oh yes you are doomed! Good luck with the pet search. There are a few “hypoallergenic ” types out there. She is adorable and I LOVE the note!
Awesome, awesome post. I love how Allana gave you “mabey” as an option – because of the phonetic spelling, and because she probably gave it knowing it would be nothing more than a rest area on the highway to “yes.” Based on my personal experiences, I recommend you get a greyhound or a Chihuahua!
That is the cutest letter ever. Claire has a dog bed on her bed that is filled with stuffed dogs. I think I’m going to have to “find” a dog soon.. Shhh don’t tell hubby.
I love Daisy’s dress up picture! I too feel every kid growing up needs a pet dog or cat. It helps grow their love and compassion for animals (when you have a good pet). Our Bella is such a good dog! And we got her from the pound. There are lots of shelters in our tri-county area.
Well, there’s the saying, “The road to Hell is paved with good intentions!”
Still, it seems to have worked out well, in the end, now that you plan to get a replacement for “Daisy”, and that the neighbor has her dog back!
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