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Isn't She Sweet?!

I’ve been hankering to get a dog for months now. I had a dear kitty for seventeen years, and she passed away about two years ago. Last winter I started getting the pet bug again, but I ran into two obstacles. The husband and my youngest. The husband objects because he didn’t grow up with animals and just doesn’t understand. Oh, he loves animals, but doesn’t really get the whole “let’s get a dog” passion I have right now. And the other obstacle? My youngest, who is terrified of most dogs. My husband is convinced I’ll never get Matthew past the “NO DOGGY!” panic, but I’m no quitter and I know he’d love a dog if I could just get him past it, (besides all the research that shows how wonderful a dog is for a child with autism) so I got us a loaner dog.

Yes, a loaner dog. I knew I could crack both my problems with just a little help. And as it always is with life, when you need something . . . a week ago a friend asked me to look after her dog for a few days.Β  Of course I jumped on the chance and said “yes.” So meet the best dog alive. Olive. She’s mellow, happy and loves, I mean ADORES kids. I hear the walls falling all around us. I mean who could resist such a sweet face?!

I have a feeling there will be four sad people on Saturday when goes home, but I’m pretty sure I’ll have won all the arguments by then.

8 comments to “Isn't She Sweet?!”

  1. Jane Squires
    July 10th, 2008 at 10:13 am · Link

    I am glad you got a loaner dog and hope and pray you get your son over being scared of dogs while young. I was terrified my whole life from birth since my Mom was bit while carrying me. It took me until my youngest begged for a dog and of course had to have a big black lab. I was terrified but little by little that dog became precious to me. He was my protector and kept the coyotes out of yards as well as lots of other critters. He would not let anyone near me he thought would hurt me. Since I lost him, I have another large dog who also seems to cater to me over my husband and daughter.
    So hope this will encourage you. I have way too may cats and had two dogs but lost one to a tumor this last year.



  2. Christina Arbini
    July 10th, 2008 at 2:53 pm · Link

    Oh, puppy! I love dogs and would SO get one, if I didn’t have to leave it alone for about 12 hours a day. Wouldn’t be fair, and truth be told, the darn thing would probably get ticked at me for being gone and attack everything reachable in my house. πŸ˜‰ Good luck with your doggie tail, er, tale. πŸ˜‰



  3. Elizabeth
    July 11th, 2008 at 6:57 am · Link

    Jane, he woke up this morning and walked over to Olive and said “Hi Doggy!” and gave her a good morning pat, which is more than I get most days, so I think we’ve just about cleared that hurdle. Now onto the more troublesome one–the husband. πŸ™‚

    Christina, I know what you mean–I never wanted a dog while I was working because I was gone so much of the time, but now it is a different story and would so fit our lives.



  4. Melissa Mc
    July 11th, 2008 at 9:06 am · Link

    This is how we started…dogsitting for friends. Finn was scared of dogs so this eased him into the idea of a dog. We’ve had ours now since April! She’s been such a welcome addition to the family!



  5. Elizabeth
    July 11th, 2008 at 9:26 am · Link

    Melissa, I thought of you when Olive came to stay. And I’ve been meaning to tell you, I borrowed Finn’s name. He’s now the cabin boy on the Ellis Anne, a 19th century clipper ship. πŸ™‚



  6. Keira Soleore
    July 11th, 2008 at 6:19 pm · Link

    She’s such a cutie. So glad Matthew took to her!! A friend of mine has a son with autism and they got him a dog, too, and she’s done wonders for him.

    Are you planning on raising a pet from a pup or one from the shelter?



  7. Alyssa
    July 20th, 2008 at 1:15 pm · Link

    Hi There!
    I’m a longtime fan but a first-time poster. I just wanted to let you know that both of our kids, 7 and 4 1/2, have Autism, and we have a dog. Her name is Luna, and she is WONDERFUL with our kids. We adopted her before the kids were born, and were a little worried about how she’d react, but she immediately became protective when I got pregnant, and considers herself the world’s best babysitter, lol! She’s even taken my 5 month-old nephew under her wing. (Um, paw?)

    She’s a very calming influence for our kids, and sits with them whenever they get upset.

    Good luck! I hope it works out for you guys!



  8. Anne McAllister
    July 22nd, 2008 at 2:13 pm · Link

    Olive looks like one of the world’s most wonderful dogs, Elizabeth. And I look forward to the day when you have a “tag” for dogs at the bottom of your posts. I’m glad to hear your Matthew is learning that dogs are great. I’m sure he will love one of his own. The unconditional love of a dog for his family is simply one of the world’s great joys!

    Oh, and I’m looking forward to your new book, too!







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