Rookies

We were lost.  Not "Cast Away" lost but, lost.  This was before GPS was readily available.  Smart phones weren't on the market yet.  iPods could only be purchased with click wheels.  Somewhere in the middle of Ohio on a February day Deb and I were driving around with our printed Mapquest directions and a cell phone. We were looking for a dog shelter.  Living in this shelter was a dog name Ricky. Ricky had been found via the Pet Finder website by Deb.  And she was in love.  Our friend, and Deb's coworker, Mindy had asked the folks that ran that shelter to hold onto Ricky so that we could come and pick him up.  And we were lost.

Just when we were both about to give up, just before the closing time for this shelter...we found it.  It was a modest shelter.  Little cubicles made of cinder blocks with chain link fence doors lined the walls.  I don't remember the number of cubicles.  I don't remember how many dogs were in the shelter.  I don't honestly remember what the folks that gave us our paperwork looked like either. But I do remember seeing Ricky in the flesh.   I also remember thinking he was an oaf of a fur ball. Deb kind of gave me a look that was mixed with "oops" and "maybe?"  We shared the little space outside of the cubicle with a woman who was there to pick up, as she put it, a barn dog.  She had her eye on a little runt of a fella named Rookie.

Deb knelt down to call Ricky over so she could pet him.  Ricky didn't move.  Actually he did.  He got up and turned his back to her.  Rookie however got up from his little towel bed and waddled (we are talking FULL waddle) over to Deb.  Once he got to her he sat and reached his little head up to lick her face.  I can still see her face when I close my eyes sometimes.  I don't think I have ever seen her so happy.  With that I turned to the woman standing beside me and asked politely if we could switch. She said no problem and that was it.  We adopted Rookie that day, paid $100 and took him to the car. 

We talk about that ride home sometimes.  I remember him sitting on my lap and looking out the window.  Just kind of trusting we were going to take him somewhere nice.  I remember all the other people on the road pointing and smiling as we drove by.  Lots of people mouthing "awwwwww" and "ooohh loook, looook at the puppy".   I remember being a tiny bit scared.  But mostly smiling.  We had already purchased his leash, collar, crate, bed, food bowl, water bowl, a few toys and some food. All we needed was Rookie.  And we had him. 

The day we brought him home...I still laugh at that face

Those first few months were stressful.  I was in sales and worked from home.  On office days I was under strict orders to not give into his yelps, howls and barks for attention.  That was hard.  He was so FLUFFY!  He was also good at yelps, howls and barks for attention.  He also didn't like sleeping at night.  His first night I laid on the floor by his crate and let him chew on my finger.  I didn't know how else to let him know he wasn't alone anymore.  Let him know he was home and we were his family.   He also didn't go more than 4 hours without going outside to potty.  Having said that he seemed to pee every 5 minutes.  You do the math.  More than once I would receive a morning call while I was out of town informing me he was going back to the shelter.   Deb and I both knew she didn't mean it.  I also knew why she felt that way. 

Little guy

As time went on Mr. Guy (Rookie)  behaved himself more and more.  He would get into stuff from time to time but we never lost any shoes or socks, never had to clean up anything more than a slight stream of pee as he ran to the door to alert us and never heard a peep from him at night.  Dirty Pants (Rookie) was learning tricks thanks to Deb.  I would come home from a work trip and Deb would show me a new thing he could do.  She was so good with training him.   They have a very special bond.  One I admire and one I am sometimes jealous of. 

He wasn't always good, but at least he owned it

Not long into his life with us we faced a major change.   I was given an opportunity to go back into marketing.  This opportunity meant we had to move to Blacksburg.   We decided to take that opportunity but that meant we would have to find an apartment.  Finding an apartment meant convincing an apartment manager that Rookie was going to top out at 40 lbs.   If you haven't met Rookie then let me explain something...I think he weighed 40 lbs for about 2 minutes on his 1st birthday.    Luckily we found a place and we moved.  

Those months were lonely for Deb.  I had lived in Blacksburg for about a year before moving to Cincinnati in 2000.  I had a new job with people I knew.  Deb had Rookie.   I didn't travel as much but I was at work a lot.  We made friends quickly with Jim and Kristi but in the beginning...it was Deb and Rookie.  For me it was tough too.  A new job.  A wife that wasn't extremely excited with the slightly smaller town atmosphere of Blacksburg.  I think we both felt lost for a while.  But with Rookie, with our Rookie boy we didn't feel as lost.  He helped us with his always present smile.  He helped us figure some stuff out.   He reminded me that having faith works out sometimes. 

He has been with us for a lot of things.  Things that aren't for public consumption. Things that have been tough, losses and disappointments.  Things that have been amazing, wins and better than expectations.  He has seen and heard it all.  He is The Guy, he is the one that I tell things to when I can't talk to anyone or anything else.   He is my little buddy and his smile is always constant.  He knows when I am happy or sad or down.  He knows when we are cooking chicken or about to go somewhere.  Rookie has been accused of being a little less than smart, but I think he has his priorities straight. 

How he likes to wake me up on lazy days

I get asked a lot about his name.  How we came up with it.  But the answer is that it was his name at the shelter and we liked it.  It fits him, even in his old age.  I think it fits the time in my life that he came to us.  I was young but not too young.  Our marriage was young too, a little over a year. Rookie, this fluff ball has been present for some of the biggest moments in my life.   A really good friend of mine, Dana, has a saying that she borrows from her sister Darcy.  There is more to it but part of the saying goes:
"Pets mark a specific time in our life"

Rookie has done that and continues do that for me.  He has marked my time with giggles, love, joy and peace.  A sense of wonder.  Taught me to try and be patient with people when they don't know what you need because you don't possess the language to tell them. Reminded me that strength can look like softness sometimes. I love him and I am glad that this time in my life has been marked by the silly slobbery boy who had the strength to come when someone else's name was called.