I’m not even sure where to begin a story like this. I guess it all started after Nate & I met in college. During the last semester of school we got a cocker spaniel puppy and named her Pacey. Let me point out that we named her after Pacey on Dawson’s Creek. We actually loved that show. Crazy I know. Only one problem, Nate wasn’t allowed to have pets at the house he rented. My parents graciously agreed to keep her for a few months until we graduated and moved. Pacey’s life was a little rocky from the start. At around 2 months of age she somehow chewed through a lamp cord and while the lights were flickering in their house, my parents were like, “Um…what’s that smell?” Oh, it’s just the dog getting fried! To hear the story now of my mom screaming and my step-father calling the vet’s office and them hanging up on him because he kept telling them his dog had been electrocuted but was still alive, is kind of funny.

Fast forward a few years. Pacey was a pretty good dog. That being said, after cooking her eggs over-easy, she definitely would have been riding the short bus if she was going to school. Once Ethan was born she didn’t get the attention she deserved or needed. The fact that she howled like an aggressive wolf every time someone rang our doorbell and I had a 6 month old trying to sleep, didn’t increase the love she got. As time went on she exhibited more and more bad behaviors and I will admit to keeping her in our basement (a lot).

When Ethan was almost 2 years old, he and I were involved in a serious car accident in which I spent 3 months in the hospital. Given the stressful time my husband was under, Pacey got neglected a lot. I don’t mean we didn’t feed her, but no one was at our house to give her much attention. Priorities you know. He came home several times to a house smeared with poop. As his frustration with her grew, he kept telling me to get rid of her. So 6 months later, without discussing this with him, while he was at work I gave her away to another family who could give her the attention she deserved. It was a post-Zoloft moment. Let’s just say Nate was shocked and sad.

It has been very nice not having an animal to take care of, but Ethan has been begging us for a puppy for a long time. We kept saying maybe for your 5th birthday….but Ethan has been pretty dramatic lately with a little help from his drama coach father. He has a stuffed animal dog that looks just like Pacey that he named Black Nose. This dog goes everywhere and he talks to it and plays with it as if it’s a real dog. Then he’ll throw a ball and say, “Go get it Black Nose. Oh, that’s right you’re not a real dog.” Pretty sad isn’t it?

I came home from a meeting the other night and Nate had helped Ethan write me a letter asking if he could have a puppy, because it would make him happy and because he doesn’t have any brothers or sisters to play with. That kind of got to me and this weekend I gave in under a few rules.
#1 - I’m not taking care of this dog alone.
#2 - I’m not picking up any dog poop in the backyard.
#3 - I’m not getting up with the dog at night.
#4 - I’m not the one taking this dog to obedience classes.
You get the picture…I’m not doing much.

That all changed when I first held Parker and she snuggled up on my chest. So soft and cute. I’m easy. I’m weak. I’m a pushover. I know. But at least she’s a girl! It kind of evens out the testosterone around here. She can’t pee anymore in this house than my husband and son already do. At the pet store I picked out a cute pink collar and light green & pink leash. It’s SOOO foo-foo and trust me I’m not a foo-foo person.

The best part of this story is where we got her. Yeah, we picked her up in the parking lot of Denny’s. Seriously. That is what we should have named her. As long as we don’t short her circuit hopefully she’ll live a happier and calmer life than her predecessor.