I have lamented for years that I wanted a dog that made me feel like she loved me – one that I had an extra special bond with. Having lived with so many Flatcoats over the years, I never had that. Don’t get me wrong, my Flatcoats love me – but they also love Billy and they would love you too if you dropped by for a few minutes. That’s just how they are. I bought Graham the Beagle as a puppy in WA before moving here to SC. As soon as we arrived, she became Billy’s dog. (I still think Billy should reimburse me for her!) I had planned before Linus’ litter was born that he was to be The One. He would be that dog that was my dog. That did not happen. Apparently I did not asplain it sufficiently at the outset.
Mulder was brought to us by the neighbors in 2010 when she was still a puppy. From the moment she was placed into my arms, she loved me. I knew it. And if I was too dumb too recognize it, she made it obvious.
I was committed to finding a home for her. We were not that home, even though I loved her. She was not a match for our multiple dog household. She’s a bully for one thing. For another, she’s a compulsive herder. No one can put a foot down anywhere in this house without Mulder herding them. Oh and she’s a mommy guarder. Nope, not a match for us but would be great for a single dog home as she is a very loving pet and constant companion.
Over time I offered Mulder on the blog and on Twitter. I contacted my local no kill shelter and a rescue group. I put the word out to a few online friends. But there were never any takers for this cute little dog. Time went by. Although I never made a conscious decision to stop trying to place her, I did.
Recently I experienced a revelation. Mulder is my dog and I could never part with her. I don’t know why I only realized this now. Nothing has really changed. I’ve always loved her but somehow now I feel I love her even more. She’s still a bully and a brat and a mommy guarder. Maybe it’s just that I finally accepted her for who she is, as she did me as soon as we met. Maybe I’ve accepted that the dog I’ve been hoping for all these years can be imperfect, like her owner. Maybe that dream dog I’ve had in my mind for so long is a fantasy, I don’t know. But reality is that I have a dog who makes me feel loved, just like I’ve always wanted, right here at my feet. Mulder is the one I’ve been waiting for.
Nice. She’s grown into such a lovely lady, too!
She is totally adorable even if she is not what you think is the perfect dog — is there such a thing. What size did you grow to?
What size did she grow to? — is what I meant to write. ;)
She’s about 20 pounds. I think she may be a “Poshie” – a Pom X Sheltie. Apparently that’s a thing, although I didn’t know it at the time we got her.
She looks a Pom/Border Collie mix. She is cute but she looks like she is thinking of things to do to get into trouble-like her mind is going a mile a minute!
My vet describes her as “Those eyes – they’re always ON!” which about sums it up.
Ahhh your Mulder is wonderful! Who wants a “perfect” dog! Boring!
My Gigi is a silly crazy mess, but she loves me the most! Her issues just remind me, I’m not perfect either. But she loves me just the way I am too! Very far from perfect…LOL
Beautiful! You and Mulder were made for each other. :)
Awww! So cute. Thats how I felt about my dog before she passed away 2 months ago (RIP). She always stuck to me like glue, protected me ,etc even if she loved other people/getting attention from others too.
Hmm. Could Mulder be a mini Aussie? Or a regular Aussie mixed with something small? If you google for mini aussie images, you’ll see what I mean. Big, big trouble. heh. I am owned and pwned by one of those.
The rescue group I contacted was a mini-Aussie group. They thought she looked like one. After I got done telling how very very bad she was, I never heard back, heh.
yep–v.v. bad is listed right in the breed standard– too late for you!
Jeanne, Have you seen any mini-Aussies with a tail? I’m wondering what the normal tailset is for them. Mulder’s curls over back.
She’s a cutie! I think she was meant to be yours.
You BOUGHT instead of adopting ? Was Graham the one that gave birth? Um.
Yes I bought Graham and no I never bred her. I bought her when I was actively showing dogs with the intention of earning her championship. But she never liked to show and so I let her stay home after only earning a point or two.
She’s just adorable. So glad you have “your dog” and that she gets to stay with the one she loves!
looking at her picture makes me wonder if she’s thinking about what you just wrote.. hehe… you might want to hide your favorite slippers…
Dot, I like your interpretation of the expression on her face. Mulder is saying: “Dumb humans. I knew I was staying from the time I walked in the door, but you, it took how long to realize it. If you need me to show you again how much I love you, give me a sign. I know right where you left your slippers.”
LOL…dogs are just amazing. When Jada arrived from that horrible kill shelter in Lyons, GA, the first thing she did was grab a brand new shoe and chewed it up, And all I did was go to the bathroom. I shook my head and said to myself..she has claimed me and her new home. She has never chewed another thing in the house.. and I wore those shoes for another year. Every-time I looked down at my feet and saw that one shoe.. I smiled… she loves me
I have to keep my slippers on a high shelf b/c otherwise she takes them into her dog bed and curls up with them.
that’s just beautiful…
This happened to me with JJ in terms of not realizing he was ‘the one.’ I knew I wanted to fight for him when he was half-dead and still found the strength to bite my hand. But I brought him home with the intention of fostering and even found him a home several states away. Sending him out kept getting delayed because of his health problems.
At the time he was sleeping in a large dog crate. Of course he always threw a fit…screaming, throwing himself around, etc. So one night I decided to see if he would sleep peacefully on the bed. This feisty little brat immediately cuddled up against my neck, laid his forehead against my cheek, and wrapped his arm around my neck.
That was it for me. I remember thinking “Oh, SHIT” I always joke that loving JJ was always the easy part…surviving him was another thing altogether.
I woke up that morning sick to my stomach wondering how I was going to tell his new mom that she wasn’t getting him after all. When I checked my email that morning there was a message from her saying we both needed to stop fooling ourselves and JJ was clearly already where he was meant to be.
Sometimes love just hits you sideways. Nic was my heart cat…I loved him hard…I had to, because he was diagnosed with CRF so young and I knew our time would be limited. But I love JJ with such intensity….I honestly didn’t know I was capable of that much emotion. It’s a soft, kind of melting love, where I can’t even look at him without my chest feeling warm. And it just keeps getting stronger and stronger with time.
Thank you for sharing that story. I thought maybe I was the only one!
Congrats on the belated revelation! p.s. If I lived closer I’d come over and trim her toenails free of charge. She could be grumpy at me about it and continue loving you unconditionally.
She is overdue for a nail trim and I have the scratches on my legs to remind me.
I identify with this post so much it brought tears to my eyes.
I’m glad to know there are others who can relate. I wondered when I was typing it if it would come across as bizarre. But it’s the way it happened so I went with it.
Ah, and what a wonderful prickly feeling “being stuck” is, isn’t it? Nothing anyone loves is perfect, because we do not live in a perfect world, and, if we did, we would not be as happy with all our love in an imperfect world.
I often tell Amy I am “sending her packing” if she doesn’t stop barking when she sees me or when i am trying to work in her kennel area… I know she is intelligent enough, even now at age 13, to know I am full of hot wind because I could not more part with her than I could part with Gracie, the newest family rescue, after she slides into her wading pool, then delightedly rolls in the dirt to get that unreachable itch and before I can grab her she bounds into the house & plops on my bed… Perfect!
LOL.. I love it… One of my BLACK girls rolled around in a huge mud puddle under the porch and I didn’t notice until she had slid her body the entire length of the green and white couch. I was in shock at first but then had to laugh. She was so happy! Thank goodness I have a steam cleaner with an upholstery attachment.
So I guess this is just a total coincidence but last night after I posted this, someone responded to a notice I had posted on a South Carolina pets group TWO YEARS AGO regarding the (then) puppy we had (who is now Mulder). They have been looking for a Sheltie/mix puppy and want to adopt her.
I am not a “lab” person. Agreed to foster one that was part of a large rescue action my group was involved with. In the first 6 months with us Jet required 2 surgeries for eating rocks. Who was going to adopt this dog with that kind of issue? We decided to keep him. He has never eaten another rock since! Now we couldn’t imagine our life without the lovable dork. Dh says Jet knew he was home to stay the minute he put a paw in the yard.
So yes; I can relate.
I have a cat who’s a bit like this. Mind, we adopted P’Gell willingly as a special-needs kitten – she’d been hit by a car and reassembled – but at the time, we didn’t know she was also feral. She was so very difficult we even seriously considered returning her, the first time that’s ever happened.
But then I came home from a hospital stay, and she was so happy to see me she warbled like a meadowlark. Wrapped her furry, prickly paws around my neck and sang.
She’s still a horrible handful, and distrusts and fears everyone but me. Me, she loves with her whole heart. I don’t know why, and I’m reasonably certain I don’t deserve it. But there it is. She’s my cat.
Cueball, kitty of my heart, died several weeks ago and I miss him so much it hurts physically. P’Gell always seems to know when the loss rises over me like a tide, and sticks her nose in. It helps. Even when she bites.
Some may not like this but… dogs, being pack animals, will always pick out the pack leader & follow that one leader. If your dogs seems to like your mate better than you, it’s only because the dog interpets the other person as the pack leader. As people, we don’t have a clue how dogs decide who the pack leader is sometimes. Sometimes it’s obvious. It doesn’t mean doggie doesn’t love you as much, he’s just following the “leader.”
There’s is a way to have doggie believe YOU are the leader: Take the dog with you wherever you go. Dogs love to go places & you are the source of the enjoyment as well as the “leader” away from home, eventually, being the ONLY leader.
I cannot foster dogs or cats simply because once they are held by me, they are mine to stay. I fall too hard too easy for every dog & cat. They are ALL special.
Brought tears to my eyes and yes totally relate. I have four dogs but only one adopted me. I already had 3 and did not want or need another. He was a Wheaten Terrier about 5 months old intentionally dropped off in our vacation property neighborhood. We figured that out after spending a week going to every possible neighborhood in a 5 mile radius and knocking on every possible door. No one recognized him. He selected our home and stayed by our door and did not move for hours waiting for us to return from our day at the beach. My neighbor said not to give him water so he would go back home. Of course we immediately gave him water it is hot there!! The first night he laid right outside the door breathing heavily but did not move. In the morning I got the what I have since found out was the Wheaten Greetin ( they hug like a human) and non stop kisses. Since he wasn’t leaving of course I had to feed him. Again he stayed right by our door the whole day. When we returned again he focused his attentions on me. I went to a neighbor clear on the other side of the neighborhood and left my van door open. When I came out he was sitting in the passenger seat! He knew he was getting to me. ( They are extremely adorable if you haven’t seen one – they are large terriers 50 lb + that look a teddy bear). I was still thinking no way is my husband (who was at home in Atlanta) going to allow me to bring him home – well I thought maybe just long enough to rehome him….. I didn’t want another dog that large with that much grooming and males sometimes have marking issues ( and does he ever! Wheaten are one of the worst for that as I found out). It was always in the back of my mind that the local animal control has a 90% kill rate and not rescue friendly.The next night he started crying softly outside my window on the porch. I thought well what would it hurt to just let him in this one night? He loved on me for about ten minutes and then chose my room to lay down in. And then there was a long drawn out sigh of relief he made as he laid down. That did it. He had me at woof! I will never forget that sigh. His name is Shaggy, he is terrified of men (came to us that way), impossible and stubborn to train, will only tolerate being groomed by me (and I am not proficient at it), has to wear belly bands that need changing five times a day due to the marking and he is the most loyal loving dog I have ever had. It’s been four years.He adopted me.
Wonderful story.. Thank you for sharing