All About the Bond

I am a huge supporter of animal shelters, and I never understood anyone who would purchase a dog or cat. That being said, I have to admit that I own a pet store dog. Katie is, in fact, our pet store dog. I didn't mean to buy her, it just happened.

We had been married about three weeks when we went to the pet store to pick up a few things for Sydney. As always, I wanted to play with the puppies first. There was this little 2.5 pound baby that stole my heart. As I sat cross-legged on the floor, she crawled over my legs and sat on the floor looking out like she belonged there. My legs encircled her as protection, and you could tell she felt safe. At that very moment, I knew she was going to go home with us. I like to blame a former student of mine for being too good of a salesman at the pet store, but really, it was all about the sweet puppy.

Sydney and Katie

After a few minutes of discussion, we decided to run home and get Sydney to see how they interacted. I don't know why we thought that was necessary, because Sydney has always loved other dogs. Needless to say they hit it off, so we did it. We bought a pet store dog. It wasn't a decision we made lightly. It was a decision we made because we bonded with her so instantly. To be honest, we did not pick Sydney or Katie, they picked us. When you know something is right, you just know. It is a decision that I will never regret. Thirteen years later, I can say that pet store dog loves us unconditionally.

Please don't take this as an endorsement of pet store puppies, but more of an endorsement of love.