Meeting Slater

Megan is in red, husband Josh with cap.


It all began when I wanted a Shih Tzu, and it all ended there too. We talked about getting a dog for so long but there were three reasons why we needed to wait. The last little reason needed to be potty trained (which was done, no wait regression for a week, oh he's done again...) and then a more important reason to that was what breed we would agree on. {sound of crickets}
It became clear that my very fair husband was not going to even budge a bit on this one. He has longed for fawn colored boxers before we knew that it was a boxer he was oogling over. I thought they were cute, but big, and with a big dog means big poop. He travels, I take care of the living beings while he travels, so in my experience of baby diaper changes I knew that the mountains of pooh would be more then my squeamish, with a strong gag reflex, self could handle.
But it was time I looked into the breed after so many suggestions of "why not a boxer?"...
Yes, at this point the Shih Tzu became an obsolete thought.
I went online. I filled out Rescue applications. I was approved by Rescues. But there was one dog among the hundreds, and I mean hundreds that were posted on www.petfinder.net that stuck out. A smaller, yet still very stocky, boxer mix named "Gator". I inquired and filled out the application. I asked a few more inquiring questions and went away on our Christmas trip up north where I knew on my quest to find the perfect boxer I would meet a few at my uncle and aunt's home and see how the kids would do. These boxers were so super cute. But in the back of my head still, a lot of dog for my three little kids who think that a dog is the size of my parents' puppy French Bulldogs. They'd be getting a lot more dog then they ever thought...and I'd be getting the tail end...
So, as it goes, "Gator" was silently being held for us by Megan, his foster mom, who knew this dog was meant for this family. It's a total "God thing". I learned how laid back he is, and his full size body no more then 45 lbs. Huh...could he be the one?
Indeed. I committed, I even had his picture wallpapered on my screen saver. He was it! I knew in my heart that this was the dog. And Saturday we stuck the kids in the car and drove to Charlotte where she was meeting us half way up from South Carolina. We parked as planned in the Cracker Barrel parking lot. Just like a movie we sat on the rockers all five of us anticipating the arrival of our new dog. Then we see him, peeking from the back of the car window as Megan, her husband Josh and their 15 mos old daughter also named Hayden rolled up. We got up and got the cameras all locked and ready for shots. This was our defining moment "the family dog" moment. I did have tears, though I told Jon I wouldn't, but he knew I would. I got the sweetest wettest kisses from my new furry kid and smiles from Megan knowing in her heart she too made the right match.
Glory! It was just wonderful. Our Slater boy has been a great boy. He's just what we needed around here and not much of what we didn't. He is the fit to a puzzle we never knew was missing.
Today he saw the lizard "exercising" on the side of the glass. Oh those floppy ears perked up and he was just whining and cocking his head about this thing in it's tank. It's as if Lizzie is inside looking out a double sided mirrored window because she could care less about the huge headed under-bite staring her down as she scrapes the sides of her glass cage. And then alas, his first bark! He can bark! Remarkable that a six inch reptile can bring a grown dog to bark.
Our funnies have really only begun. Too many to write. I will be posting as many a day as I can. Meeting Tipper the fine little feline will be a fun one I'm sure.
Tipper doesn't want to meet anything furry, and Slater wants to be friends will all furry things. Huh...