How Arthur joined our family

Labor Day weekend, 2008, is when Sawan finally gave in and let me get a dog.  Actually, that weekend when we finally decided, it was him that brought it up, I hadn’t been begging for a while.

We searched the paper and the internet and found a couple of places in Colorado that had Westies.  We decided that we would go and look at puppies, and not make a decision on the day that we went to look at them, but, if we were looking at a litter of puppies, “our” puppy would be the one that came to me and wanted to play with me.  We would let the dog choose us.

It ended up that there were very few Westies being offered at the time.  We went and looked at one dog here in Denver, but he was skittish and had a weird sore on his back, plus the whole operation seemed sketchy, and we left the place feeling very sorry for the little guy but knowing that he wasn’t our dog.  The only other place that had a puppy was in Burlington, Colorado and they only had one left.  So, it was a pretty big investment to go all the way out there and look at him (It’s about a three hour drive).  So we had to re-think our decision-making process.  It was a breeder with a good reputation, and we didn’t want to wait any longer.  We would probably just take him.  But we couldn’t pick him up until Thursday.  I told Sawan when he left that morning that if he got there and it didn’t feel right, to leave him there.

Sawan went out to get him, got to view the whole operation, loved the people that ran the kennel, and fell in love with the little guy.  He drove home and made several calls to the shop that day (I had to work and couldn’t go) updating me on what the puppy was doing.  It was so sweet.  He mostly slept on a towel on the seat in the truck the whole way home.

Sawan drove into town about a half hour after I finished work, so I just waited for him at the shop.  When he showed up with the puppy, he put him down on the ground, about four feet from me, and the puppy wouldn’t come to me.  He stayed right where he was, looking around, and Sawan and I looked at each other, fear in both of our eyes, like “Oh, no, we had agreed that we would let the dog choose me.  This dog is not coming to me.  What if we’ve gone to all this trouble and the dog isn’t supposed to be mine?”  So I went over and picked him up.  He was so tiny and cute.  He had the biggest ears I’ve ever seen.  When I picked him up, he immediately snuggled right into that space between my shoulder and my neck and laid his head down, like a baby.  He was so my dog.

We named him Arthur.

The day we got him.  Arthur and I waited outside Target while Sawan went in to get supplies.  Are those not the biggest ears you've ever seen on a puppy?

Now I’ve had him for three years.  He was what truly made us feel like a family.  He is my constant companion.  He is a hilarious little party animal.  He’s such a comfort.  I’m just so thankful for this little guy.