Contributed by Debbie J. Laughlin

*reposted by permission*

After the loss of my beloved Griffey the Pekinese at 3 years I thought my heart could not take the loss of another pet and decided no more dogs.  My husband and friend since I was seventeen, who knew me better than I did myself during my grief, came home one day with the cutest little Pekinese puppy.  When I first laid eyes on her I wanted to put a wall around me.  She had Griffey’s coloring, only her little face had a larger black mass.  You could hardly see her dark eyes for the black mask around her face.  My heart got protective and my body wanted to run and say NO, No, No!  Looking at her bug eyes wondering where she was now and what life had in store for her my heart melted and expanded as I fell in love with this sweet little fur ball whom we named Anna.  Five months later my husband came home with a seven month old rescued white Pekenege who we named Bob.  He was a strange little guy whom fell in love with Anna at first sight!  He immediately went running over to Anna and to our surprise did the deed.  Yes, he did. We had no idea she was fertile at that moment since she had No signs of being in heat.  Plus Bob was only seven months old! Yikes! Okay, so now what do I do! I was going from not wanting to have a dog again to having a family of pups.  This would mean my heart would break as I eventually would need to find good homes for all the sweet innocent little babies that would soon enter my life.   The experience turned out to be one of true amazement.

Bob took good care of his Anna growing wider day by day. Bob was always at Anna's side.  The night she went into labor Bob was the worried husband and father to be.  Bob would pace and check on her in the walk in shower of the down stairs bathroom which we had set up a birthing bed for Anna and the coming pups.  By the time came for the first puppy to be born Bob was exhausted!   He finally ended up laying on the coach upside down eyes wide open looking helpless while Miss Anna, (a brave girl) gave birth to not one, not two, not three, not four but FIVE puppies.  Bob entered the birthing room; Anna looked up exhaustedly as Bob looked at her in amazement.  Then to our surprise Bob curled up around Anna with their five newborns and became the best father of his fleeting family.  When Anna needed to rest, go out to take care of business or refuel Bob kept the puppies warm.  When the pups would look stir for food from Bob he was so patient and loving about their efforts to find a nipple to feed on till Mom returned.   As the pups grew Anna and Bob began escorting the puppies outside to go potty!  The parents shared all responsibilities for play time, potty training and loving each one. What a beautiful experience it was to watch the interactions of this furry family with amazing parents. 

Life opened my heart and taught me that the blessing of pet ownership far out weigh the pain of the time they must leave us.  Wouldn’t it be nice if all puppies were blessed to have life begin this way?

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REMEMBER: Doggy Tales is Reader Contributed! If you have, or have had, a furry, finned, or feathered friend you were fortunate enough to share your life with, we want to hear about it! Contact Miss Mae via the email on the Profile Page and your article will be featured in a future Monday segment.