When I woke up last month on a Saturday morning I really wasn't planning on adding a new addition to our family! But after eating breakfast and in the middle of washing dishes my friend Beth called me and asked if I had read the newspaper and checked the pets for sale column. She had found a little female Maltese puppy that was for sale and thought I might be interested. So of course I immediately called the number that she had conveniently already written down for me! Ha! A good ole boy answered the phone and told me he had one puppy left and that three other people had already called to see her.
After asking a few questions I decided to drive down the mountain just to look at her. After all, my husband was on the road and in Seattle Washington and I knew I could not make that decision without at least discussing it with him. So I felt safe that I could handle that without giving into a little baby puppy!
I'm not good at directions so I got lost out in God's country not knowing east from west. But lucky for me, when I picked a drive to turn around in it was the house I was looking for. I started to get a little nervous knowing I should have brought someone along with a level head to say NO for me!! While driving up the long drive I noticed this old barn past the house on down the drive
and a man was sitting out front motioning me to come to the barn, so I did.
When I got out of the car and walked over we introduced ourselves and he asked me to step inside. The inside where you first walk in had been made over into a little office and another door over behind the desk. He asked me if I was ready to see the little girl and I said yes. So he went out the back door and I waited what seemed like forever. Plus, I was getting excited to see her. Well, no more than a minute later the door opened and this little ball of fluff pounced thru the door straight into my arms. Well, needless to say it was love at first sight!
It was a total of ten minutes before I had already written him a check for her and we were on our way home! And what a ride that turned out to be!!
I had not brought a kennel or box or anything to help contain her so I could drive!! That little puppy made a race track out of me and me trying to drive these mountain roads! Lookout! Here I come! Then she hopped up on top of my head where I couldn't get my hands on her so I could see the road. Before I knew it BAM, I had run over someone's mailbox and pulled over to the shoulder and got out. I went up to the house to apologize to the owners and when they answered their door, I began to tell them what had happened The husband ran to see what was wrong and his wife said an animal had gotten inside. To my surprise that little puppy had crawled out a four inch space in the window and just jumped to the ground--NO FEAR!! Well after chasing her throughout the stranger's house
we finally tricked her to coming to me with food! I gave them my address telling them to send me the bill for the mailbox to be replaced. Then I flew to the car with one thing and one thing only on my mind and that was to get home ALIVE! After all, I was traveling with a package of dynamite! What should have been an hour drive took three and a half hours to make it home!
When I opened the door the puppy flew in and around and on and over everyone in sight!
I fell onto the couch and completely gave into her.
After all, I was plum worn out! My little yorkie Sophie played with her for a hour and the others ran and hid from her, hoping that she ran on batteries and that surely they were shot by then!!
I fell fast asleep on the couch and did not wake up til 8 the next morning. And when I opened my eyes all I saw was toilet paper all over the downstairs as she had not learned until the next day to go up and down stairs. Well, needless to say Penelope Pounced her way into our lives and hearts!!!! And a whole month later and no signs of slowing down!!! So stay tuned for the next episode!
Copyright 2003 Debbie Cantrell Bowers
