21 November 2011

Why We Crate Our Kids

OR

HOW WE ENDED UP WITH A DOG


What the Hell?

I know, I know. I've never said it out loud, but I'm a cat person. This does not mean that I shun all dogs and ignore them outright. If your dog is cute and not actively trying to separate my arm from my body, I will pet and love on said dog until it's time for me to leave. And then, I will go home and thank God that all I have to do is scoop a litter box and not walk in the freezing rain to watch my dog take a dump. Oh, and? SLOBBER! Ick. And that whole "incessantly licking one's genitalia" just escapes me.

But then, there's Macy:


Macy showed up unannounced at our kids' school and after spending a day in their class, it was discovered she had a microchip and 24 hours later, her family picked her up. And then 24 hours after that, the wife called to say that the husband wouldn't let her keep the dog.

Hrm.

We decided to take her in because she was already housebroken, up-to-date on all her shots, and the best part? She sat in a room full of little kids for six hours and never once growled or tried to bite at anyone.

After one day with her, I had decided that no matter what, we would keep her forever because of what I saw and discovered. She made it from Dallas, GA to Acworth/Kennesaw, about 16 miles, with no tears or scrapes on her pads. She didn't walk there, she was dropped off. When she was discovered, she had no collar, yet when she was turned over to us, she had a well-used collar on her neck. When Ty-man took her out to our fenced-in backyard to run and play, she cowered off to the side of our house when he took off the leash.

This dog was neglected by her previous family and purposefully dumped.

Supposedly, when these people adopted her in February, the rescue organization stated that her previous owners had abused her. And it's obvious that that was the case because when I hollered at the boys yesterday to come to dinner or suffer the wrath of Mama, she slunk out of the sunroom, ears back, as if she were mentally preparing herself for a beating.

What. The?


This dog doesn't bark. I've heard her whine in her sleep and whine at Andy. She hasn't once messed in the house even through the trauma of being passed off to strangers. She follows us everywhere, walks down the sidewalk like a pro, and rolls over on her back after wagging her butt because she's so happy to see you after a whole five-minutes of not seeing you.

Why? Why in the damned world are people so mean and nasty? I don't get it. She's the most awesome dog I've ever met and I'm not being biased here. I mean, I'm already biased for cats. I should be all She's OK but my Andy rocks your face off! And yet I'm not, because she's awesome.


But the best thing about having Macy as a member of our family? She ignores her crate, but the kids don't.


I think I'll turn their bedrooms into clothes closets and just buy them each a crate.

My name is Heather and I'm a dog-lover.

9 comments:

sybil law said...

Awww = I love her and I LOVE that she has you and your awesome family. Love love love!!

Annie said...

I LOVE it! You're making me cry! I hope your kids will love Macy as much as mine love/d Katie. When you posted about getting her the other day, I had to stop out at our local humane society shelter and check out the dogs. It's been 8 months since Katie was killed, and I *think* we (I) might be ready.

Give that girl a belly-rub for me! Uhm, Macy, not Miss-Miss. lol

Michael from dadcation.com said...

Hooray! There's a special place in Heaven for dog lovers. I'm sure of it.

Elizabeth said...

What a wonderful story! Can you just imagine what's going through Macy's mind right now, wondering how she got so lucky? You should write a book!

Dave2 said...

Looks like a sweet pup! Congratulations to all of you.
:-)

Leigh Anne said...

I love this post!! Welcome to the fabulous world of dog ownership...consider your life changed (for the better)!

hello haha narf said...

oh heather, i am so happy that ms. macy's story has a happy ending. she will be a faithful and loving friend for the whole family. with a little patience and encouragement she'll be romping around that fenced in yard like it was made for her.

i hope there is a special reward in heaven for people like you who open their homes and hearts for a friend like macy. and i hope there is a special kind of hell for folks like her previous owners. fuckers.

on another note, that first photo looks like macy is wearing a hat when you glance at it quickly. cracks me up.

also, you do realize this means that in april i'm gonna have to stay at your house longer than a few hours. i might be moving in. :)

Coal Miner's Granddaughter said...

Sybil Law - I know. You can't help but love her! I think the entire neighborhood is ready to take her from me!

Annie - You go for it, hon! Macy is absolutely awesome and I'm so very glad she found us. :)

Muskrat - I certainly hope that having her cancels out all the bad, Hell-deserving things I've done. :)

Elizabeth - You know, that's not a bad idea. A kids' book would be just the ticket! She's probably thinking, "Jesus Christ! I'm stuck with a couple of Star Wars geeks. How do I get outta here?!?" ;)

Dave2 - Thanks, hon!

Leigh Anne - I think life has DEFINITELY changed for the better. Thanks, hon!

Hello Haha Narf - I get so sad that I bought her toys and try to engage her with them and she just turns her head. I think she has forgotten how to play. Very sad. Hopefully, we'll fix her of that! You will definitely have to visit her in April and if you decide to move in, we'll fix up the basement! ;)

Nancy said...

Congratulations on your new family member! My parents adopted an abused dog, a black Chow Chow. She loved kids and would nudge her head through your legs when you opened the door for trick-or-treaters so she could see their costumes. We got lots of compliments on our "bear."

Give Macy time. She'll come around. It took us three days for Tasha to let us close enough to take her leash off. That protective nature paid off -- she was a great judge of the boys I dated in high school. If she didn't like them, she'd sit between us and not let him get close to me.