A Life Change

So, tomorrow morning, at approximately 6 a.m. I will leave for Cheyenne Wyoming. I am going to pick up the newest member of my family, "Billie." Billie is a dog, to be more specific, a black and tan Rat Terrier, and I can hardly wait. I love animals, especially dogs, horses are a very close second, but I am a dog person. I have had 3 in my life, Golli was my standard poodle that I don't remember life without, then came the Bud man, the best dog known to man. I say this with absolute sincerity, and if there is anyone with question, just ask, there are enough people that visit my blog that can testify to this fact. Then Doc, who is soon to be my ex-wife's Rat Terrier. I love Doc, and am really having a hard time sitting here knowing that everything we do tonight will be the last time we do it together. Doc has had a very interesting life. I decided several years ago, maybe 5 years ago, or more, that the next dog I got would be a Rat Terrier. I looked all over the internet, and finally found a breeder that I really liked. I emailed her, and we just clicked (Tracey Kallas, K2 Rat Terriers) She had a male dog that I really liked, but he was still too young to father puppies. She told me that she would keep my email address, and when/if she decided to breed him, she would contact me. Two years passed, we built a new house, and two days after I got my internet hooked up, she emailed me with news about an upcoming litter fathered by the dog I liked. I told her that I would be interested, and as it turned out, she ended up with a pup for me. Doc is a great little dog, so handsome and well bred. My ex-wife and I met Doc's breeder in Wheatland Wyoming eight weeks later to pick him up. We got him home just before Christmas, and he was a perfect match for our family. When he was just a couple months old, he jumped off our front step, and broke all four of the metacarpal bones in his left front foot. In people, these are the bones in the top of your hand from your wrist to your knuckles. We took him to our vet, who recommended an orthopedic surgeon, who pinned his foot back together. Then he broke a growth plate in his leg, so back to the specialist we go. I believe if I include the purchase price and all of the vet bills, Doc has been a $3500.oo investment. He is worth it, and I would do it again. Anyway, as my ex is leaving me, she says she wants to take Doc. I know that he would be ok with her, and that she needs a good dog, so I agree to let her have him someday. I have never been without a dog, so I will keep him until I can find a replacement. I get in touch with my breeder, and it turns out that she has a litter on the way by a half brother to Doc, and she will put my name on a puppy. So tomorrow I get to meet him. "Billie," named by my kids, after Billie Joe Armstrong, the lead singer of Greenday, their favorite band. I will miss Doc, but like I said, he will be ok, and she needs a dog that I have trained. See ya Doc, I'll miss ya, take care of 'em for me huh. Good Dog!

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