All You Need is Love

My kids have always had special "lovies" to comfort them.
Emily had Bobby and Barney. Bobby is the tattered remains of what used to be a beautiful white knit blanket, and of course Barney is, well, a Barney stuffed animal she got when she was very small. Her entire life she has hung onto Barney and Bobby as if they were her lifesavers, and one lovie is never far from the other.
Then came Lou. She was given a pig beanie baby from my brother when she was four months old. She was addicted to Piggie like nothing I have ever seen. She constantly toted that stinky piggie around with her and her "tough lovin" of him required many a snout and hoof replacement. It got to the point where her addiction to her Piggie became so severe we actually had to take him away. It seemed, as long as Piggie was in the general vicinity, Lou was reduced to nothing more than a comatose child; a mere vegetable. So in an effort to have her participate in the world, we had to send Piggie on a little trip, as we have told her. She has a few other favorites that keep her company, but thankfully no other creates such an intoxication as did Piggie.
When I was early pregnant with Charlie I attended a craft fair where I purchased a homemade baby quilt. I was attracted to the quilt because it incorporated a frog fabric within it, and Tucker's family has always likened him to a frog. (another story for another day) But the colors in the quilt were very untypical for a baby and certainly not baby girl colors. At the time, we had no idea what I was carrying, but took our chances. To this day, Charlie carries his Froggie Blanket with him from room to room as he plays. He must have been sending me telepathy through my womb that day telling me to buy it.
Patchy became attracted early on to a yellow waffle weave receiving blanket that I believe we got when Emily was born. He would clutch it in his tiny fists as a newborn and it became so clear early on that he loved it, that we went out and bought a duplicate. He received a stuff duck for Christmas one year that also has begun to join the ranks of ultimate loviehoood. So now a happy Patchy usually requires two "Yellows," as we so appropriately have named them, and a Duckie. Okay, I'm definitely noticing our lovie names are not creative in the least, oh well.

So we are a family that appreciates the need for lovies and realizes that sometimes nothing can fix a problem quite the way a designated lovie can. Imagine our surprise when we realized our sweet little Lida, too, had a special lovie. It became clear early on to the kids that any tiny stuffed animal was fair game for Lida. Lo' and behold she found "Baby." (I know, again with the creative names...) Baby is a small white stuffed puppy with brown ears. Baby originally came from a kids meal, as did the 2 other identical dogs that are somewhere in the house. But Lida has adopted this Baby as her very own. Oh, and believe me, she knows the difference between her Baby and one of the impostor Babies. She carries Baby in her mouth from room to room and gently and lovingly licks her clean. After she deems her sweet Baby is all clean, the two will curl up and fall asleep; Baby tucked safely underneath Lida's arm. If Arthur, or anyone else happens to find Baby and pick her up, Lida makes it very clear that Baby is for her only.
There is something very comforting as a mother, to know that your children (or puppies) feel such solace in these items. Sometimes I think if all of the world's leaders just had a really good blankie, then perhaps everyone would be a little better off.

Tinkle...uhh, no thanks...I'm good...

I have never fancied myself a "dog person." I grew up with cats and I really relate to their laid back lifestyles. Tucker on the other hand always had a houseful of dogs running around. People are generally one or the other; cat people or dog people- so I thought.
Before Godiva died, I was convinced that when she and Arthur went to the great Puppy Heaven in the Sky, I would NEVER have dogs again. I loved them but they were high-strung, high-energy smelly creatures. I was looking forward to the peaceful relaxing life of kitty calmness.
When Godiva died so suddenly everything in my heart changed. It wasn't any longer about the chaos, it was about the loss of a friend- for my children, for Arthur AND for me. Suddenly, I went into overdrive to protect the dog we had left. Arthur got brushed every night, began wearing cute sweaters, and was constantly in my lap. His depression over the loss of Godiva was so obvious and disheartening. He no longer wanted to play or eat. Arthur was dying before my eyes. He could not go on without his best friend. My heart was breaking.
I began to question whether Arthur needed a new friend to help ease his pain. Tucker, who is the consummate dog lover, assured me Arthur would be fine, and in time he would recover from the shock of Diva's loss. Time went on and his depression only seemed to intensify, until one day my father in law brought his brand new puppy over for a visit. Arthur perked up and immediately began to "mother" the new baby. I'm sure at that time Tucker knew he had lost the new dog battle with me, but I continued to play the "let's wait and see game."
I began researching on-line various pet rescues in the area. I looked quite extensively at the local Humane Society's page. I knew I wanted another small dog for Arthur, but the only one I really saw was a funny looking white scruffy thing with dark black circles for eyes. Her name was "Tinkle." Not a good omen for house breaking. I emailed the office of the Humane Society asking to be on the look out for a compatible friend for Arthur and decided to back off. The next day I got a call from a woman at the office saying she had quite possibly a very good match for my boy; a little white poodle named...wait for it, wait for it...TINKLE!! Oye vey!
Despite my misgivings over "Tinkle" I decided to bring in Arthur for a visit to see if Tinkle, or hopefully another dog would be a good match for him.
Arthur was so nervous. By now he had gotten quite skinny and feeble looking. The barks of the other dogs scared him so I ended up holding him. We were put in a room where we could spend some quiet time with "Tinkle." That crazy dog, who was probably part poodle but a whole lot of who knows what, was shaved almost completely bare, had a hairless curly rat tail, and kept peeing on the floor in front of us. The lady at the shelter explained that when she was found, her hair was so badly matted and overgrown that they had to shave her all the way down. She assured me that in time Tinkle would be beautiful. "Ummmm, yah, ok...whatever. Let's look at some other dogs."
So we walked around and saw some beautiful animals. I was shocked that THESE were shelter animals. They were the kind of animals people pay top dollar for. But I kept having a nagging pull back to that ratty little Tinkle. Damn you, conscience! I watched as she watched out her little window at us. Scratching the glass as if to say, "hey, where are you going? What about me?" uggh. Catholic guilt. It doesn't matter that I left the church, I kept the guilt.
We filled out the paperwork to adopt Tinkle. Consequently, I was told her name had only been Tinkle for the week and half since she had been in the shelter so I was free to change it if I would like. Well, that was certainly something.
I paid an enormous adoption fee, which eventually caused me to be overdrawn. *The first time in my adult life I have bounced a check and it was for TINKLE!!* What the hell!
Fast forward two months. "Lida Rose" (I always wanted a daughter by that name) is so amazing. She and Arthur have healed each other's heartaches. She has brought a wonderful energy into our lives. Her transition has been seamless. And yes, she has grown hair on her naked little rat tail, and no, she does not "tinkle" in the house.
So I guess I am a dog person after all, but I am also a cat person. I am so blessed to have these furry angels in my life. I really believe God or perhaps Godiva, (possibly both) had a hand/paw in placing Lida in our lives. Really, all bets were against her yet here she is. It sure is crazy how little control we have in our own lives!