Dear Kid,

Puppy: Tell me a story

Me: What kind of a story?

Puppy: About me

Me: Ah, that kind of a story. Ok. Once upon a time there was a little girl

Puppy: I’m not a girl!

Me: No, the little girl was Pi

Puppy: Oh

Me: And a boy

Puppy: That was me

Me: No, that was the Kid

Puppy: Where am I?

Me: Listen to the story

Puppy: Sigh….

Me: And a Mommy and a Daddy. And they wanted a dog to be part of their family too

Puppy: That’s me!

Me: Listen to the story. And they visited lots of shelters and met lots of nice dogs, but none of the dogs they met were their dog

Puppy: Because that’s me

Me: Sometimes the whole family would go and sometimes just the Mommy and the little girl would go on their own. Then one day the little girl and the Mommy visited a shelter they’d been to before. The little girl saw a tiny, little dog

Puppy: Me:

Me: Yes you, but listen to the story. “Can we visit with that dog?” asked the little girl. “We can meet that dog,” said the Mommy, “but I think he’s going to be too small for Dad.” The Mommy and the little girl asked the Very Nice Volunteer if they could meet the little dog. The Very Nice Volunteer brought the little dog outside so they could meet each other. The little dog turned out not to be quite as little as they had thought and he trotted onto the grass and brought something back to the Very Nice Volunteer. “You can have it,” she told the little dog who promptly chomped up the treat he’d found.

Puppy: Can I have a treat now?

Me: It was the only time I’ve seen you offer to share a treat. And no, I’m telling a story, so no treats. The Mommy and the little girl and the little dog had a very nice visit.

Puppy: Yes

Me: At one point, the little dog trotted off to the end of the enclosure. “Should I go get him?” asked the little girl. “If you want to,” said the Mommy, “but he’s not going anywhere.” The little girl went to the dog, picked him up, and brought him back. The dog didn’t exactly look comfortable, but he let the little girl (who was a very strong child) carry him back without fussing at all.

Puppy: That’s when you knew

Me: That’s when we knew you were Ours. The Mommy called the boy and the Dad to come meet the dog, but the boy and the Dad were kayaking and they couldn’t get to the shelter in time.

Puppy: Which is why you didn’t take me home

Me: That’s right.

Puppy: Then what happened?

Me: The next day, after the family went to the boy’s school to see where his classes would be that year, they went to the shelter. They visited with the little dog. Then the Dad wanted to meet another dog. The Other Dog took one look at the family and hid under the picnic table. “No,” said the Mommy. “We are not getting a dog that doesn’t want anything to do with us.” And the family decided to get the first dog.

Puppy: Me

Me: Yes, you. The family went to the front desk and began filling out the paperwork. As they were getting everything done and waiting for their dog, a man came in who wanted to adopt the very same dog.

Puppy: Me

Me: Yes, you. But the family had made the decision first, so they got the dog. And they all went home together and lived

Puppy: Happily Ever After

Me: Right

Puppy: Good story

Me: Good puppy

Love, Mom

For more puppy conversations see Puppy Conversations and Food Observations, Spring Puppy Conversations, New Puppy Conversations, Winter WonderPuppy | Baby It’s Cold Outside, Puppy Conversations Translated for the College Kid, Puppy Conversations and FIFA World Cup Soccer, and Puppy Conversations and the Joy of Quirkiness