All kinds of changes going on

It took me only a few months to get settled in San Jose, but I immediately recognized a huge void. Dogs are welcome practically everywhere in this area, even the store I worked at. It was so difficult to see happy, wagging tails walking in the aisles and know that none of them were following me; however, I knew, just as I had known in Florida, that my lifestyle was just not conducive to the demands of a canine companion. For one thing, my roommate didn't like dogs, an opinion I have never understood. She claimed, and I've heard this from others, that they are stupid animals. Oh just you wait. I will easily disprove that belief in later entries. And I still spent too much time away from home, working nearly 40 hours a week.

Life went on and so did I. The years passed and I moved out on my own, but I still didn't think it was fair to ask such a devoted creature to wait for me to have the time for them. I knew that things would have to change in my life before that decision could be broached. Ironically, the one change I had not seen probable would be the one that made everything possible. I hadn't been in a relationship for a long time and had become comfortable and quite happy with being alone. I was secure in the belief that it was just me and would only be just me. Then Kevin came along and turned everything upside down. And I will be forever grateful for that. Our love is based on many things, one of the strongest being our mutual love of nature and the beasts that inhabit it. When we moved in together, he shared an open door relationship with a fuzzy, grey cat whose name was somewhat of a mystery. What we most often called him was Meowzebob, or more easily just Bob. Bob would come and go through a kitty door, often coming in at night when it was cold out. We would be watching tv and hear the welcoming flap as he walked through, voicing a pleasant feline answer to our hellos. Unfortunately, the life of a quasi-wild cat is a tough one and Bob had lived quite a long time before I came into his life. Not too long after Kevin welcomed me into his home, that wonderful flapping sound came to an end.

Kevin had a love for dogs as well, but was still getting over the loss of his best friend and companion, Springy. It wasn't too long before he started mentioning the idea of adding to our family. I was elated. Finally! There were certain criteria that Kevin had and I graciously deferred to his judgement. I wasn't too particular, finding nearly every dog one that I would love to love. We both agreed we wanted a rescue dog. Springy was a cattle dog mix and Kevin really loved his temperament and level of intelligence. That's right, naysayers, some dogs are quite smart and herding breeds are reputably some of the smartest dogs around. One more slightly odd (or so I thought) requirement for Kevin was a lack of tail. Springy didn't have one and Kevin grew to like the lack of accidents often caused by that appendage. Again, I didn't care. I just wanted a dog.

 After an extensive search of several different rescues, he came across a picture that just tugged at his heart. "I think I've found the one."