Chapter 6 – Presents under the tree.

March 25 was finally in view. I had cleaned and sorted the house from top to bottom. I even got down on all fours just like many puppy books suggest and pretended to be a pup trying to see anything and everything from their view and what looked interesting enough to chew or tug at. (which is pretty much anything).

I moved things
I organized
I put doors back up on the closet.

The house was never so organized. The cat food was put downstairs… Murphy didn’t seem to mind. Though it was at the cost of some catnip. Then I went puppy shopping. Tooth brush, tooth paste – peanut butter flavoured, puppy pads, dishes, collar, leash, bedding, crates, food and most importantly - toys. I would have bought the all the toys in the store if it was allowed. But I held back and only bought 4 on the first trip! E thought I was silly.

“and look at this stuffy,” I would say “ it has a little bag of beans inside that you take out and microwave and put back in! It says its really good for pups that are getting use to a new home.. its suppose to be soothing!” I was very proud of that purchase. It made me feel like a good mom. E just shook his head

I felt that we were as ready as we could be. At this point we had to let the cards fall. At this point it was all up to the pup how the first few days would go.

E’s alarm when off at 7:10 am on March 25. I was still sleepy… but knew I had to run a few things to the dump before Utah showed up. It seems Murphy had drawn another card in her attempt to spoil the puppy’s home coming. For some reason not only did the garbage truck pick up really early… but it went down our side of the street first.. in two years… it had never done that.

So with garbage in tow I stepped out outside. The sun was shining but it was cloudy and even sprinkles of snow were trying to fall. It was warm… it was a very confused weather day. Probably the malicious work of Murphy… what ever spell she has tried to cast apparently wasn’t strong enough – perhaps a rush job. She had been foiled yet again. A few minutes after I had returned the phone rang.
“can you hear him?” I heard though a forest of sad cries
“I can hardly hear you!” I answered.
“he won’t stop crying… Poor guy” E’s voice sympathetic to a pup that had just been taken from his family.

I suggested playing some classical music like “puppies for dummies” had suggested. He said he would try it and then hung up because he really couldn’t hear me.

In moments they would be home… I was desperate to keep myself busy. But there just wasn’t anything more to do but wait… something I am not very good at. So I sat and watched tv… begging my ears not to listen for his truck pulling into the drive way. And after about the sound of a car door closing… I heard the deep rumble of a ford f150 in the driveway. I couldn’t take it.. though I had been waiting for this moment all my life… I had to peek… so I peeked out the front door window. E sat in the truck, looking down at the passenger seat. I creaped outside and he rolled down his window. I didn’t hear any crying.

E whispered “he cried himself to sleep… but I think the classical music really helped.” I peered over his lap to the passenger seat to see a tiny, timid pup… looking up from his cage. Our little Utah has finally come home. He was scared… and I was a mix of emotions.

E brought him inside, set his cage down in the middle of the TV room and opened the cage door. I recalled reading “let the pup come out of its travel crate on it own accord.” And I did so… unwillingly… but I did. Though I didn’t have to wait long… he pretty much came out right away.. I called for E. I mini paniced… there was now a baby pup walking around my house and I didn’t know what to do! But it was ok… he ate the food we put out for him, drank all the water we gave him. He ate treats… he played with all this toys.. he took to playing with us rather quickly even if he was timid with every new thing he came across. He has his accidents… but we never scolded him… this may all be new to him…but it was VERY new to me and even to E.

Soon everyone was tuckered out. E had already started napping on the couch. Then Utah came over to me… made and attempt to climb onto me.. so I scooped up his butt. He curled up on my chest cuddling into my arm and fell asleep. My heart raced. And it was at that moment that I let my axniousness go. I tilted my head down to kiss him on the head and quietly let a few tears of so many emotions fall.

* * *
Honestly what I had expected was a terror on all 4s. A sad, and very scared puppy. Just like my books had told me. But he wasn’t. He played, he snuggled, he pottied, he ate his food. Other then the odd nip and accident in the house his first day was a really good one. But the curious thing about Utah is that he was timid about everything… at least at first or the first few times. He didn’t bound out of his crate.. or scarf down his food or even take to us with open arms. He was maybe 10 pounds… and had back legs that weren’t fully developed yet. He didn’t sit… he just plopped down on his behind. He walked sideways… he was just learning to coordinate his back legs.. climbing stairs or onto high furniture was a real task when you don’t quite know how to work them. He was 7 ½ weeks old when we got him. Just a wee little guy.


His first night we set the little cage that he had arrived home in. We place it right bedside the bed where he could see me. He cried and whined and gave himself the hiccups. I ran downstairs and warmed up the little soothing stuffy and placed it in his cage beside him. He picked it up… cuddled it and sucked on its tail… exactly what it was for. He quietly whined a little… and kept his eyes on me the whole time, so long had he could keep them open. As he sleepily sucked on his stuffy, I laid on the very edge of the bed… as close as I could to him. And hummed him a couple of lullabyes. Withing a few minutes he had lost his hiccups and was fast asleep. We and our puppy had made it though our first day.