Four Weeks and Counting

I can’t find my copy of the contract. My husband said he filed it but I must not know where to look (he’s away for the summer), which is frustrating because I’d like to copy it verbatim to this page or at least to reread it for something related to peace of mind. The signed papers promise a few things including: she’s healthy, I’ll be reimbursed $50 for any or all ACK titles (agility, obedience, but not CGC), and that she won’t have hip dysplasia for the first two years of her life.

Dasha is 12 weeks old and in the 3 weeks I’ve had her I’ve noticed a little limping, a little leg shake, and when she runs hard an altered gait. I’ll be surprised if she’s not severely dysplastic. But because she’s so young radiographs will have to wait another month during which we’ll continue twice-a-week puppy classes, shots, walks, training, baths, socialization, and snuggle sessions. She’ll try to drink my red wine every chance she gets and I’ll dress up her kibble with vegetables, herbs, meat, and broth pretending that it will make her feel loved and content. We’ll spend afternoons at the Coffee Bean and grab a few lunches at a sidewalk cafe. I’ll worry about leaving her alone while I’m at work and try to compensate at lunch and in the evenings with new toys and creative play. And then I’ll buy an appropriately sized airline crate, a one-way ticket, and fly her back to the breeder in Washington because I can’t justify $4,500 worth of surgery on a puppy. My husband agrees but isn’t here to take her out at 3 am or pick the burrs out of her coat. He doesn’t stuff a clicker in one pocket and a baggie of treats in the other every time he leaves the house. He’s not attached and so I imagine that as he’s buying and installing a Cisco router system for a man in Wyoming he doesn’t have knots in his shoulders or feel like he’s going to vomit.

I hope the next month passes quickly.