I have been laughed at, sponsored and pitied by people who are not pets. I may have been irritated, frustrated, or upset, but now I feel sorry for them. No Pet-Peeps does not understand Pet-Peeps and vice versa. It’s not until that unexpected and inexplicable connection is made between a person and his pet that the bond can finally be validated. No Pet-Peeps just hasn’t met the right pet yet! They have not experienced Pet-Power.
My own introduction to Pet-Power came after I graduated from college. I had always liked animals and much preferred them, even in my toys. We had a Collie named Maggie, who I don’t really remember. I had my first horse when I was a thirteen year old girl. We spent almost ten great years together. But still, it took that special pet to help me finally experience Pet-Power.
Moving to Detroit caused me a bit of anxiety. I was worried about my safety. So my solution… get a dog. I was directed to a local vet who in turn gave me a phone number for a free 5 1/2 month old female husky. My best friend, Heidi, and I jumped into my little maroon 4-door Civic. With Heidi’s help in navigation, we reached our destination.
The place in front of us was a small aluminum trailer that was in desperate need of repair. Old things were scattered everywhere. As Heidi and I tentatively got out of the car, the front door opened to reveal a woman in her forties, dressed in strangely colored sweatshirts, smoking a cigarette. She peeked out the door and looked at us with narrowed eyes.
“Are you here for a dog?” she asked with a hint of suspicion.
“Oh yeah…” I began.
“Well, let’s go then.”
I guess we passed the test and moved to follow her to the back of the trailer. Walking cautiously, we followed the thin, disheveled figure. A large, furry, brown and black animal with huge golden eyes whimpered and jumped, yanking at its chain.
“That’s Nikki.” The woman pointed to the beast. “She’s a German Shepherd and something like that.”
“Australian Shepherd, I think.” A man had appeared.
“Whatever,” snapped our hostess. “We also have a bunch of puppies.”
Not wanting to be rushed or rude, I followed the lady a little further with Heidi on my heels. We come across two scruffy strays chained to their respective tiny doghouses, with a swarm of puppies crawling around and over them. I wondered fleetingly if any pups wandered off without the safety of their chained mothers… I had to push the annoying thought away. The cubs were cute, but my attention was drawn by the lonely wail of the furry beast we had first encountered. It was my downfall. The poor thing wanted so much attention…
“I love Nikki,” I told the couple. “I promise to give her a good home and I will leave my address and phone number so they can see how she is doing.”
The woman smiled at my last comment but the man smiled and nodded. I noticed as I got closer, that there was no collar and that the chain was tightened around the animal’s neck. I felt angry and resolved.
“Wait a second”. The man left and reappeared with pliers.
Once the chain was released, Nikki was on the move. She took off like a shot, running for the life of her. I followed Heidi back to the Honda and opened the back door. To everyone’s amazement, the huge ball of fur shot out of the opening, flipped around in the back seat in front of me, and planted itself firmly against the maroon upholstery. She lay down with her chin on her paws and looked at me. Her eyes seemed to beg, “Please take me with you.”
For fourteen years and at least ten house moves, Nikki and I shared our lives. I never felt alone with my great wolf-like friend and protector. She was a great lovable companion and a delightful reason to go home every night. Although she looked fierce with her black face and golden eyes, Nikki was actually a big baby who loved to cuddle up on your lap. I only saw her “go crazy” once. As I had the doors flung open and Nikki strapped to the side to stay while I packed up the moving truck, an unknown man started walking up behind me. Nikki went crazy. The man backed away even though my great protector could not have reached him.
Nikki taught me Pet-Power. She also taught me about unconditional love and acceptance. That dog gave me more than I could have given him. I’ve wondered who saved who. She will always have a very special place in my heart and because of her, I became in love with rescue dogs and have been rescuing dogs ever since.
Aisha is a determined and no-nonsense businesswoman I know personally and have worked with professionally. A bit obsessed with order and very well organized, she has a place and a system for everything. I know she thought she was a little sentimental when she got sentimental about my dogs or if she made a comment about a puppy she passed. She was a good sport and she put up with it, but I know deep down she was thinking, “Okay, whatever…it’s just Janus.”
I knew Aisha had a big black lab mix growing up, so I was a little taken aback by her lack of desire for dogs, but I chalked it up to her Non Pet-Peep personality. So imagine my surprise and delight when a tiny black labrador captured his heart and transformed this tough Non Pet-Peep into a Pet Parent Freak card. He has even brought two more big dogs for a total of three big Lab-Mixes (one of them is his old childhood dog, Lucky). His perfect existence turned into an adorable soft mess of love and stray dogs. He now stops to go ‘oooh’ and ‘aaaw’ with every passing pup and has to have Labrador calendars and pictures of his “girls” in the office. If Aisha had the room and the funds, he would rescue as many dogs as possible. Pet-Power hit her hard!
Big D is another perfectionist; clean car, clean house to the point of OCD. He is a big gruff guy who scares most people until they get to know him. Imagine my horror when I helped him adopt a puppy for his children and the frightened little animal quickly projected his last meal onto his spotless leather backseat. From that day on he put up with my dogs to put up with me, but he never touched one of them on purpose. He tolerated my addiction and even played with them in his own way. He and Nikki were chasing each other around the house. Big D even walked me to the ER to have Nikki and Rusty euthanized. I could tell that his big heart was broken, but he still didn’t want a dog of his own. That was all my nonsense.
Well, nothing twists a dad like his youngest son and when Kalli wanted a Pomeranian puppy, she had to give in. Big D accompanied his daughter to a wonderful breeder couple who had three little balls from a champion lineage. Kalli chose the middle pup; not too shy but not too aggressive. For Kalli, he now had a cute little accessory to show off. For Big D, something else happened. The little Pomeranian, Jack, dropped his little butt in front of the big man’s recliner and yelled at him. He continued to bark until the astonished Big D bent down to pick up the demanding pup. Jack immediately licked the big guy and snuggled into his arms to fall asleep. Big D seemed quite helpless and distraught for a minute or two, but he relaxed and smiled as the little cloud of fur dozed off into a perfect sleep. Jack’s tiny puppy sides rose and fell against his large human pillow. D melted into mush, his eyes sparkling with love and wonder as Jack wormed his way into the great man’s heart.
Though no one would have expected it, when Big D and Kalli split up their homes, Jack went with Big D. He’s more than just his little friend, though. He is the only “thing” capable of waking up Big D with a smile and a giggle and is the only safe medicine that makes the big man feel better through his battles. Speaking of successful therapy! Jack saw his great dad at her worst. Pet-Power strikes again!
So the next time you come across a Non Pet-Peep, don’t despair. They just haven’t met the right pet yet!
