Saturday was a busy day. I got quoted a better deal for Classy, my car - at only $900 of work for the leaking head gasket by an awesome mechanic. If anyone needs work done, I know of a guy who is honest and doesn't rip you off. Saturday night I almost hung out with Travis and Krista for the evening, but something told me to head to my Mom's, which was what I had really wanted to do with my Saturday anyway - until I realized I could get Classy in to be seen by Mr. Justin Running, who could also be known as Mister Super Hot Mechanic man.
It's okay, he's monogamously taken ;)
Regardless, Mister Super Hot Mechanic guy is going to replace my head gasket next week (probably Tuesday) for around $900, instead of the $2100 that the dealership quoted me. I am never ever going back there.
Now, I don't care what you believe, but that morning as I was driving to Marysville to have Classy looked at, I put in a CD that Jim made me 2 Valentine's days ago. It was the mix I was listening to late March early April of 2010. There was a song on that CD that I listened to that has some lyrics that I will probably forever attach to Rufus and his final chapter - which I consider to be my own grieving process. I listened to this song that morning and found myself not crying but thinking of Rufus and experiencing your standard watery-eye syndrome. It was just a moment where I felt like his energy was concentrated and close to me. I don't often feel this way anymore, but Saturday morning there was a pungent moment of *something*. I'm not even sure what. It went away as quickly as it came.
Got Classy looked at...
And then I headed to Mom's. She called to tell me about a wire crate she was interested in selling to me for Fritz. I admit, I've been wanting one for months. I have begun to really like the openness feel and look of the crate. Like it is less dark and blah for the dog himself in the kennel, but also looks tons better in the house. So, I decided to back out on Krista and Travis for further plans and headed the 15 minutes further North to see my parents. We had dinner, and then (still in shock over my great fortune of cutting my car work in HALF) - Mom and I decided I should head to Fred Meyer to pull out some cash to pay her so I could take the wire kennel. On the way, there was our favorite pet store to browse (5 mins or less away from Mom's). I thought in my head, "Maybe I'll mention us going there after we hit up FM..." and no sooner than the thought had escaped me, that Mom says, "We should go into Bridge's and look around."
This is when the falling into place takes place.
We wander for a brief minute before Mom wants to show me the "Chow-Lab-Rott" mix puppy. In the glass case above the ChowLabRott, were 2 tiny Dachshund puppies. Now, I've been in Bridge's when they had Dachshund puppies on Consignment before, and pretty much blew them off. "oh. Big deal. More Dachshunds." I rejected them every time, pretty ambivalently. This time, the dogs caught my eye. I especially liked the very light compared to normal "red" dachshund - puppy. There was one that also resembled Fritz in color and frame. After discussing, looking, and getting a distinctive magnetism for one of these Dachshunds, we asked to look. "Do I count as a prospective buyer?" I asked Mom. To which she said, "yes!"
And off we were, holding and swapping the two. I didn't push one way or the other with my feelings inside. It was just a consideration after all, I thought to myself. But then it became clear to me... the feel of the larger female had something Rufus-like in the translation. The boy was sweet and more snuggly perhaps than the female, but the idea of a girl seemed fun, and her Ginger coloring and larger frame drew me to her. Before I knew it, I was calling up Jim discussing whether we wanted to do this, whether he would mind me picking the dog without him.
It was all a go, so before I knew it I was walking the path of buying a little Dachshund.
It was all a little shocking, seeing as I had pretty much given up on getting a second dog anytime soon. But without pushing or stressing, the process fell into place and now we have a 4th member of the household.
Rufus's birthday is a week from the day we brought Amber, the new little girl home. It's interesting on the timing. His death anniversary is less than a week after his birthday - so it is just shy of one year since the final Rufus hours.
Relieved to see my car is costing me less, I was in shock about the dog, but adapted quickly once we brought her home and I realized that YES, I am ready to handle the process of building a sane adult dog out of a puppy. And very ready to help Jim walk this path, as this is his first puppy experience ever. While it brings back memories, it is also new because I am not doing it alone.
Fritz has adapted to Amber very quickly. He licked her the moment she came out of the tiny kennel for the first time at home, and he has had a history of snarling at tiny puppies if he was not in the right mood. He has already taking to playing with her, which is refreshing. I think because Rufus was never much of a play-buddy, he is actually realizing the potential of what this new dog has for him. Someone who will play with him back!!
And as I type this, Jim got home from work and is now napping with his new little girl puppy. He instantly melted the moment he saw Amber. I predict very good things with this dog. She is mellow, and very friendly. I look forward to our hard work ;)
-Angela
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