Let me first answer the question you will ask shortly, which is: Are you nuts?
Answer: Clearly. I believe this is well-established.
You see, my husband and I decided in the wake of the passing of our beloved dog son, Gordy, we’d adopt a puppy.
At Christmastime.
When it’s very cold, rainy and muddy outside.
And we’re hosting two Christmas celebrations featuring two toddlers.
At this juncture you’re likely to ask a second question, which is: How did this happen?
Answer: I read a local story about abandoned puppies, visited the aforementioned puppies and bonded immediately to one adorable pup-pup in particular.
The thing of it is, the legacy of our cherished pound puppies and kitties we’ve adopted over the decades is our capacity to love — and adopt — more of them when there’s room at the Dean-Epps Inn.
And we’ve always had room.
We’ve opened our hearts and home time and again, even in the face of losing precious, furry family members like the multiple-times-returned-to-the-pound reigning champion Crissy: 11-year-old zero hearing ability Moe: Maggie who barked at anything that moved or didn’t move: and Tibby the Cocker Spaniel whose ears I cleaned out more than my own.
So off we went to pick up our new canine kid, Teddy, a 3-month-old ball of energy representing at least 6 breeds.
Here’s the short list of all we took on, knowingly, lovingly, though some may not think wisely:
• Sleeping when the puppy sleeps, tag teaming for short naps on the in between.
• Cleaning up poop and pee as far as our near-sighted eyes can see.
• Stopping raucous chasing of the other furry children in the household.
• Preventing the destruction of clothes, furniture, plants and everything else.
• Attending to puncture and bite marks that happen so fast, I’m unwrapping bandages as fast as puppy pads.
Oh, but what we’ve gained that makes our tails wag:
• The joy that is caring for a dispenser of unconditional love like no other.
• The heart-swelling feeling that is falling in love with our fur baby.
• The feeling of completeness welcoming our little guy into his new loving and fun home.
• The added bonding my husband and I experience when we care for our cute pooch.
• The fun, warm and fuzzy feelings that go with playing and snuggling with a silky-eared, soft-pawed, wiggling-with-joy puppy.
Time and time again we’ve connected with our adopted critters at the sweet spot that is their unconditional love and our capacity to love. Our already-adored Teddy has already delivered on his end of the bargain. He’s such a gift.
Not counting my grandtwinkies, it’s been many years since I whispered to my husband in my new mom, baby-besotted voice, “I think the baby is asleep.”
Gratitude is baked into any holiday season — pun intended — but this year we’re finding our home is full, our hearts are full and our trash can is over full…just like we like it.
— Diane Dean-Epps
Diane Dean-Epps is an author and podcaster whose career has offered up a bountiful buffet of opportunities in industries as diverse as media, education, entertainment and fitness, leading to incredible feats of multi-tasking. This explains her unique ability to speak loudly, grade essays and deliver a punchline as she assumes the plank position for one minute and 22 seconds. For more of Diane’s sit-down stand-up brand of humor, grab a restorative beverage and enjoy non-Amazon-delivered laughs provided by Bangs 'n' Botox: Women Who Wear Aging Well.