I think I fell in love at first glance when I saw her adorable little face peeking out from my computer screen. Now, after her first adoption failed, she’s all mine and I feel blessed to have her.
Before I went to pick her up I went shopping. You would have thought I was having a new baby, instead of getting a puppy. I agonized over whether to buy her a halter or a collar. Can you believe I bought both? Then the leash had to be just right. She’s small - only six and one half pounds, so it had to be lightweight. Should it be a regular leash or retractable? Retractable I decided. Then there was the crate and the toys to pick out. They all, of course, needed to be small. The cutest of the toys I purchased was a fuzzy, miniature teddy bear that squeaks. I hoped she’d like it as much as I did. I bough, a five pound bag of dog food as well. Of course it had to have little miniature bits to suit her size and only the best would do.
When we drove about twenty minutes north to pick her up I was antsy and nervous and my husband laughed at me. But then he admitted that he had been nervous and excited as well when he had gone to pick up his dog two years ago. Together we sat in the parking lot waiting for her delivery. The lady was late and I grew more anxious for fear we might have missed each other somehow, so I phoned her to reassure myself that everything was still “a go”, which it was.
Finally they drove their green van into the parking lot as promised. I was dying to see the little bundle of fur, but at first only the lady, Julie, exited the van. We visited for a few minutes then finally, after controlled anxiety on my part, her two children got out of the van with a little, short-haired, white dog squirming in the five year old girl’s arms. The puppy was pert and cute with brown markings around her face and rump. When I finally got to hold her she snuggled right up to me and I felt like I was in heaven. After all the business parts of the transaction were taken care of, we all bundled ourselves into our respective vehicles and left - they to Olive Garden for dinner, and my husband and I to return home with my new treasure. This time my husband drove while I cuddled my precious. little buddy in my lap.
Introducing her to her big brother, Mike, a large black lab who was waiting for her at home, was a bit tense. He was so big, about eighty pounds, and she was so small. Would he welcome her? Would she be safe with him? At first glance she was very leery of this large creature who wanted to check her out and to lick her all over. She came running to be picked up. After a few minutes however, Mike settled down a bit and she left my lap to go sit on the couch. The two canines, very much a contrast both in size and color, eyed each other, then slowly and tentatively became acquainted. Before the hour was up, they were playing joyfully and sharing a large, yellow and orange, plush, stuffed bone which Mike had tentatively offered to her. Eventually they were playing tug of war with the bone. Every once in a while the little tease would get up to run swiftly in, under, and around everything in sight while Mike gave chase. You could sense his frustration when her small size allowed her to get behind a chair or some other piece of furniture where he could see, but not reach her. Then, when he’d just about given up hope of being able to play with her for a while, she would come darting out to taunt him and the game would begin again. She certainly had lost her fear.
Everywhere we’d go, young and old alike wanted to see and to pet her. People had so many questions. How old was she? Where had I gotten her? Really? I got her from an animal rescue? How did I find her? While I tried to answer, she just reveled in the attention - squirming and giving kisses whenever she had the chance. No one seemed to mind that her kisses were the wet variety.
Her initial visit to the beach was truly an adventure for us both. She was obviously on overload and couldn’t decide what to focus on first. She would run energetically, then stop and tense, looking first one way and then another, tail out straight and one front foot in the air, before taking off again to happily explore. She pranced along the shore line, head and tail held high. At first she was a bit unsure of those waves that were rolling in -seeming to chase her, but it wasn’t long before she decided that they, just like Mike, were relatively safe. Then she forgot all about them when she saw some little shore birds she thought were there just for her to chase and play with. I’m sure she was disappointed when, just as she reached the end of her leash and came to an abrupt stop, the birds safely flew away. Next it was on to a clam shell which she picked up and proudly carried a ways. When she realized that her big brother was having fun chasing and retrieving a dummy which was being thrown out into the ocean, the clam shell was dropped and quickly forgotten. She took off after the dummy and might actually have gotten it if she hadn’t been tethered. It would have been fun to have seen what she would have done if she was off the leash, but she hadn’t yet proven that she could really be trusted not to take off, so for her own safety, we kept her controlled.
This little bundle of love is a delight. She is cute, funny, and obviously smart. It was such fun to watch her hide Mike’s rawhide chew behind a pillow in the chair, carefully patting the pillow back in place once the deed was done. She is part Chihuahua and part Jack Russell Terrier, but to me she is pure sunshine; hence her name, Solana, which means sunshine in Spanish. She is at my feet, where she has wrapped herself up in a blanket, as I write. She doesn’t purr like a cat, but it is obvious that she is very happy and contented and so am I. I will never again question the idea of “love at first sight”.
