I have a problem. Isn’t admitting that you have a problem the first step toward fixing it?
My problem is an addiction to small dogs.
I didn’t realize I had this addiction until about four years ago, when a friend gave me their mini-pinscher, affectionately called Ruby.
The reason he was giving away this little ball of joy was because of a minor barking issue Ruby has. With a small child in the home, you can imagine the barking and the baby didn’t mix.
When I say Ruby barks, I mean Ruby barks - at everything - all the time. I left her out mistakenly one a day a week or so ago and only realized it when my neighbor posted something on her Facebook page about the dog barking waking her up that morning.
Ruby and I bonded, despite the barking.
Then, I felt bad because I had originally accepted the dog hoping my children would bond with her. My solution was to get another small dog, which we did.
I use the term “we,” referring to me and my husband, who is adamantly against my addiction to small dogs.
Enter Charlie, a mini chihuahua. I am not his biggest fan. He is wide-open 24- hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week and has been nothing short of a pain in trying to train.
He bonded with my oldest daughter, so here I am again a dilemma. As fate would have it, “we” then obtained another dog. This dog was sent to us by powers greater than our own.
Busta, as my youngest calls him, is a mix. He is small and one of the cutest dogs I have ever seen. My youngest bonded with Busta, and he is her dog.
So, I know what you are thinking: Great. No more small dogs.
Truth be told, I was thinking that myself.
Then my current editor, Sharon, had a shih tzu and lhasa apso mix. She brought it to the office one morning as she was taking him to Nina at The Dog House. Through a series of unforeseen events, this little ball of pure love ended up at my house. Per my Uncle John, we now call the pup Mavi, short for Marvelous, of course.
As I lay in bed the other night, with all four of my precious angel fur babies in the bed with me, I realized I indeed have a problem.
I am just not sure what to do about it.
Is there self-help class that I can take?
