Ever since we started dating in 2009, my wife had been begging me to get her a dog. I held out for a long time, partly because we lived in apartments as opposed to a house that would give a dog more room to roam. I wasn’t 100 percent sure what kind of dog I wanted or if I wanted a dog in general, and I still missed my previous dog, Honey, a German shepherd/husky mix. It seemed like getting a new dog would betray her memory and be more work than I wanted.
Nonetheless, as usual, my wife won in the end. At the beginning of spring break in 2014 (my wife is in the education field), she convinced me that it was the perfect time to get a dog. I had run out of excuses and was surprisingly ready to try pet ownership once again.
We went to Austin Pets Alive’s website and scrolled through the photos of available dogs. We knew we wanted a puppy from a shelter, one that would grow into a fairly large dog–most small dogs (but not yours, dear reader—your small dog is wonderful) annoy us—and a tiny, ridiculously adorable pup caught our attention immediately. We brought Katniss home the next morning.
We didn’t end up changing her name, as my wife loves the “Hunger Games” books and movies. Also, she (Katniss, not my wife) has a little microchip implanted in her so we can easily find her should she run away, and I am pretty sure the chip has her registered as Katniss. Hopefully that’s not some sort of copyright infringement.
A tiny, ridiculously adorable pup caught our attention immediately.
We brought Katniss home the next morning.
If you live in the Austin area–Austin is the largest no-kill* city in the U.S., according to the APA website–APA is a great place to find a new friend. Even if you don’t live here and you want a dog, visit your local animal shelter–there are many dogs of varying ages, shapes and sizes who would love to go home with you.
(Can’t you hear that Sarah McLachlan song from the commercial with the sad dogs playing?)
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*According to the APA website, a no-kill community saves 90 percent of the animals that enter shelters.
A Guero and His Perro 