Although I was a bit older than my girls are now, when I was little we acquired a throw away puppy who was named Otis. He was a lab, boxer, something sort of mix. Just a mutt. He was, like all puppies, precious. Floppy brown ears, a brown spot over one eye, ever-wagging tail. If you've never had a throw away dog you cannot understand how appreciative such a dog is. People may think dogs simple, even stupid, but they aren't. They KNOW that you saved their life. And they'll thank you for it every day.
Otis grew into a good sized dog, with a big ole pit bull looking mouth, but was always the sweetest dog with the best smile ever. He lived to be old enough to vote. Saw both Ethan and I through middle school and high school. Was still there after I graduated from college. He even got to meet one of my babies before he passed away. This was dog that brought strays home for us. Hungry, thirsty, lame, injured...Otis would bring them to us to tend and mend and possibly to take up residence. From stray cats, to an injured part-coyote mix. He loved all domesticated creatures, be they cats, dogs, horses or goats. He might get out and run a deer from time to time. Or dig up a ground hog's den. But you couldn't really expect any different from a dog. Once he even killed a momma skunk, orphaning her babies, but he didn't touch the babies. We ended up raising one of them and releasing it back into the wild. He brought baby rabbits home in the spring, wanting us to tend them. Let any number of animals share his food bowl or his house. He protected his family though. I remember him jumping a Rottweiler once (that was much bigger than him!) because the Rottweiler threatened me and my brother at a horse show once. He had the Rottweiler pinned in about half a minute.
Otis was one of the best dogs. A good yard dog. A great porch dog. A phenomenal companion.
It is what I hope my kids will get out of Maiko. I mean, obviously she isn't going to serve as a pillow while laying in the yard day dreaming and watching clouds float by. She'll be a bit small for that. And she won't be able to take out Rottweilers. But she'll be a companion for them for the next 10 to 15 years at least, barring any problems. She'll be there through elementary school and high school. They'll dress her up for Halloween and drag her to show and tell. She'll be privy to sleepovers, pillow fights, misadventures and unshared secrets. She'll share snacks and meals, laughs and tears with Evie and Elly. Their friends will all be on a first name basis with her and will reminisce about times spent and funny things done. They'll teach her tricks (Hopefully) to show off. When they're grown they'll be able to laugh, and maybe cry a little, about the memories made and the good times had with their very first dog.
I want her to be their Otis. I suppose. If my mom reads this I'm sure she'll scoff at how impossible of task that is. This teeny dog has HUGE shoes to fill for sure. But my little girls don't know Otis. And I'm not going to tell Maiko how daunting my expectations for her are. I think it'd be setting her up for failure if I did!
And regardless of how the lil thing does when compared with my own childhood dog, she will be everything she's supposed to be for my children. They will fall in love with puppy breath and the wagging of a tiny tail. They'll learn the heart flutter of happiness you feel when something that you love, loves you back. They'll feel bad about having to leave her home when she wants to accompany them somewhere and the shared joy of being reunited. She will teach them responsibility. What it means to feed and water and clean up after another creature. She will teach them kindness and humility, through her own kindness and humility (which all dogs have as a rule). They will learn how to be kind to her and earn those sweet kisses and tail wags. They will learn what discipline really means and how to reward good behavior. That all actions have consequences because they will see that in their dog. Both good and bad.
All these things I foresee in a 1.8 lb dog.
If nothing else, I hope she brings us all some enjoyment. That she'll play with both the kids and Mushu, both of which desperately want play companions for fetch and tug-of-war but for some reason Mushu refuses to play with the girls. I hope she isn't miserably difficult to housebreak. And doesn't destroy too many of the kids' toys.
So, I'm off to pick up the lil orphan. Wish us luck! It might be an interesting weekend!
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