Two Minus One by Kathryn Taylor

Author:Kathryn Taylor
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: She Writes Press
Published: 2018-11-05T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER SIX

Rescued

“If you want to lift yourself up, lift up someone else.”

—BOOKER T. WASHINGTON

WHAT WAS I THINKING? WILL I EVER KNOW? AS I struggled to climb the interminable ladder out of grief, I certainly didn’t need or want a puppy. I was barely able to care for myself. How could I possibly care for a dog? Yet, fourteen months after my world was torn apart, an unexpected rescue occurred while I was visiting my daughter.

A young puppy had been taken from her mother at only five weeks old and turned in to the animal shelter. My daughter, certain that her mother would benefit from a dog in her life, had asked them to be on the hunt for what she called a “miniLab” for me. When this puppy appeared, the shelter director immediately phoned my daughter, and she happily offered to foster the pup, with a plan in mind. I was adamant that I did not want a pet and certainly was in no mental or emotional condition to take on a responsibility of that magnitude. I was only beginning to keep one foot in front of the other and get through each day. The last time I had brought home a puppy had been during my first divorce. At that time, after years of hearing from my younger daughter how desperately she wanted a dog, I surprised her with it when a friend’s dog had a litter. Now, as then, I knew little about the requirements and responsibilities of raising a dog, and this time there would be no daughters to help share the burden of responsibility. However, during my weekend visit, the campaign to wear me down was on. My daughter made suggestions about how much company a pet would provide: “You won’t be alone anymore.” She placed the puppy in my lap continuously: “See, she already likes you.” She put forth ideas regarding the fun we would surely have together: “You can take her to the beach.” I thought my resolve was strong, but as we played with the puppy and brainstormed names, I realized that this young animal, only six weeks of age, would somehow be making the trip home with me when I left.

Since the shelter had accepted the pup as their charge, the obligation for all of her initial vaccines and spaying was part of the contract with the agency. The pup had only her first round of shots, and until she had had them all, she was not to leave the vicinity. Because of my daughter’s connection and support, the shelter director would allow me to leave town with the dog in tow. However, I had to promise to return her to them routinely when shots and spaying were due. I gave my word and purchased a small crate, and we headed for home. She was a calm and happy traveler from the start, although these recurring trips were suddenly longer in duration as frequent “potty” stops were required.

Though the puppy was a

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.