Tending to Bonnie

Meet Bonnie:



How did this little gem come into our lives?

Well....after the pet store with Leslie & Sadie, Gage mentioned that the pet store didn't have any dogs. He wanted to see dogs. So, I offered to take him to the SPCA shelter over off Industrial.

So, off we went.... But, we got there about 20 minutes before they opened. So, we sat on the steps playing a little lame game of "What color is that?" [you know---I point to something & say, "What color is that?"]... This woman comes up to wait on the steps too. There are other people there waiting in their cars.... This woman who is at the steps with us has a dog to surrender. Gage started the conversation by saying "Is that your dog?" and it was all over. She told a sad tale that involved a landlord, a no pets policy, and two dogs: Bonnie & Clyde. Clyde had already found a home, but Bonnie had not. She was at the shelter to surrender Bonnie & was fighting tears about Bonnie being put to sleep somewhere. Anyway....before the SPCA doors even opened, this woman & I were hugging & THANKING each other, and I was back in my car with our new dog, Bonnie.

You always hear the phrase "a boy and his dog".... I swear, my heart has just grown & grown today watching that phrase play out in my backyard. Oh my goodness....

But really, we need to pause because I'm getting ahead of myself.

Before noon, we had a new dog & we were headed back to a pet store. We needed a collar, and shampoo, and food bowls, and puppy food, and a leash, and a dog bed, and dog toys & at least one bone, and a box of treats....did I forget anything???

So, we're at the pet store, and of course I didn't put her on the floor b/c she's 7-10 weeks old (I think...) and I didn't want her to catch any dog sickies....so, we got a cart & went straight to the doggie bed aisle. Got a dog bed & put her in the cart. She loved it. She slept almost the whole time we shopped inside the store. In a random poll of pet store shoppers & employees who commented on how cute she is, the winning for breed mixes in Miss Bonnie: some sheperd & lab. Who knows what else??

So, we check out, and we head out to the car. Gage crawls up into his seat. I pop the trunk & unload the stuff. I set Bonnie down next to the car while I put my stuff in the front seat. I turn around----she's under a Carolla parked next to our car.
GREEEEEAAAAT. I've owned her for what??? an hour??? I'm like the perfect dog owner, right? So, I found myself belly down on an asphalt parking lot staring up at the unercarriage of a Carolla. Let me just say---if you find yourself in this same situation---laying in a parking lot staring at the underside of a Carolla, you MIGHT BE "Tending to Bonnie." Clearly she was happy to be in the shade, and in no hurry to respond to my pleas for her to come out. People in the parking lot quickly came to my side, only to find that I was attempting to fetch a puppy underneath the car. A brainiac who stopped to help suggested that I try dog treats. "I've owned her for like an hour. I don't even know if she knows what a dog treat is!" Well, she saw that little milk-bone & her ears perked up. Worked like a charm....thank goodness!

On the ride home, I called my Hubby. Went to voice mail. So, I text messaged him (odd for me b/c I'm textually slow)... I hadn't even had time to lay the phone down before my phone was ringing. It was Hubby. The text read "We got a dog." He must have been in a meeting or something when he returned the call because his response was, "I just got your important message. Could you elaborate on that please?" SAFE! So, I did, and he chuckled at me, and he's excited to meet her.
:)

So, she rode in the backseat all the way home, just right there at Gage's feet. We brought her inside & quickly marched right out the back door to see if she'd potty outside. She did. Like a champ. In fact----we've had one wet accident in the last 10 hours, and that was right by the back door. She's been TTing outside like a champ! Wooohooo! [I'm sure I just jinxed myself by even typing that!]

So, we get home to the backyard, and Bonnie was no more than 3 feet behind Gage at all times. It has been soooooo cute. As I'm typing this, she's laying to my left on the couch JUST A'SNOOZIN'! She is so worn out from such an adventurous day with Baby Gage.

Okay, okay....pictures from this afternoon....











So, after some playing in the backyard, Gage started making mud with the waterhose & had a ball in the mud. So did Bonnie!







So...they both got baths....


And then we got dressed....ran by Mark & Pam's, and ran out to Rockwall. Stopped off at Sonic for the ol' brown bag special, and took burgers to the in-law's for dinner. We had to go out there to get Eddie's old kennel. They'd used it for a while when their dog, Sadie, was brand new to their home & so scared of everything...

Anyway...Gage & Bonnie had fun out there too.







(Bonnie is not yet super-excited about her leash.)

So, that was our afternoon.
We've been busy..."Tending to Bonnie."