Sun Dog Revisited

Looking at the date, I'm pretty sure that she was pouting because she couldn't believe I'd leave her alone with some crazy that she didn't know :~) 

A friend just sent me this picture of Cosette, with the message, ‘I miss puppy’. My reply was something along the lines of, ‘you think you miss her?’ Since the moment I picked Cosette up and zipped her into my hoody, we’ve been very close. Some may say a little too close. I know I was scolded by a former employer for choosing Cosette over spending extra time at work. Somehow, especially with the job being what it was, I felt that Cosette was by far the better choice. She rode in my messenger bag on the motorcycle with me, sat on my lap during toast night, when we watched Dr Who with the dorm, snuggled with me while I read or worked on the computer, slept with me at night, and (before she was banned from the office) either slept on my lap, or snuggled under my desk on a shirt of mine while I worked.

I’ve been super mad at that dog several times. Usually when she ran around with this silly puppy grin on her face, keeping just out of my reach as I tried to catch her. But I could never stay mad at her, and she never did anything terrible (though from what I hear, she’s giving my Mom plenty of crap…). Whenever I’m cross with her, she rolls over on her back to apologize, and looks so pathetic that I just can’t help giving her a cuddle.

I miss walking in the door (even after only 30 seconds outside), and having her do her happy puppy dance, and jump into my arms. I miss seeing her watch me through the window if I’m outside without her, just waiting for me to come back in. I miss being outside with her and playing fetch or just running around with her. I miss snuggling when we come back inside and she’s finally worn out enough to sleep. This blog isn’t really anything profound. I just miss my puppy.

I referred to Cosette as a “Sun dog” when I first got her (hence the blog title…), but then I sort of thought that was over when I managed to get her to the States. I wasn’t thinking though about the fact that just because she’s in the States, that doesn’t mean that we’ll be constantly together. She’s there, but I’m here. And it’s hard. Some days, I just want to go hiking with her, or have a good long cuddle. But I’m here, and it’s not possible.

I’ll see her in a few months though, and I look forward to that. And it will be wonderful to see her again, just as the sun dogs you see in the sky are all the more beautiful for their rarity.

For now, I’m just glad that I know she’s in good hands (even when she’s being a complete butt…), and I’ll see her later this year.

Silver Medal and Some Puppies

Cosette and I have chosen our favourite Olympian from this year's winter games.

Gus Kenworthy is doing more in Sochi than just skiing. He found some new friends in a litter of pups that were hanging around the Olympic village. And going beyond just getting some treats and loving on them during his time in Russia, Gus is working on getting vaccinations and everything needed to bring the pups, and even their Mom home to the States.
After everything I went through to get Cosette home from India, I have an insane amount of respect for this guy, who is both rescuing these dogs, and also competing in the Olympics! I mean, seriously, he just won a silver medal! It would be so easy to say that he had too much to focus on, he couldn't be bothered with stray puppies. And that makes it that much more impressive.
Anyway, I just wanted to share our favourite with you. Check out the article below to read more about Gus and the pups

http://www.11alive.com/news/article/321527/166/US-slopestyle-skier-aims-to-rescue-stray-dogs-in-Sochi

A Letter to Glenrock

Dear Glenrock,
Welcome back to school! How has your first week of school been?
Thought I'd send you all an update on Cosette. A few of you have seen photos of her on facebook, but you guys asked for pictures, so here they are.

Cosette has taken to the snow like she was born in Northern IL. She stays out in it longer than our other two dogs, though the first time she squatted in the snow to pee, she had a bit of a shock...And learned to not squat quite so far. :~)

She is finally able to run around off her leash, which she loves. And to be honest, not having the leash has made her more cooperative. She responds a lot more to the word "come" than she ever used to :~) Except when she's chasing the chickens...I guess I can understand that. She's fascinated by the chickens. I think she likes to watch them squawk and flap when she runs over to them.

Cosette learned that not all cats are as scary as Mr. Rocky. The cat in the photo is Nola. Cosette seems to like her the best, because she is fluffy. She constantly tries to chew on Nola's fur. Nola just snuggles up against her.
Cosette is kinda scared of the other cats, especially the one named E.T., who sometimes sneaks into the house. She is terrified when he is inside, and barks and whines til I put him out.

Cosette spends half her time sleeping on the couch. She has no boundaries when playing with the other dogs, so it's amazing that they are as nice to her as they are. Every once in a while, there is a loud growl and bark, and someone tries to bite Cosette. She backs off for about 2 seconds and then she is back in their faces again.

I think Cosette is trying to prove that no people are better than all of you. She took to my parents immediately which is good since she'll be living with them for a while, but otherwise she has been a little unsure of people. She's terrified of my grandparents, my aunts and uncles, and most of my friends. I took it as a comment about me taking her away from you. She finally decided that she liked my 9-year old cousin, but he's the only American that doesn't live with me that she is really fond of. Racist little dog :~)

Well, that's pretty well what life is like around here. We miss you guys and hope all is well with you.
Study hard, play nice with the other kids, make us proud.
Love,
Laura and Cosette










P.S. Enjoy a few more pictures of Cosette.

 

Life is pretty rough for this poor dog. Work all day, never a chance to relax. She's thinking she'd have been better off as a street dog. 

Flashback

A peaceful puppy sleeping on my lap as I write. Suddenly, a dog barks outside. It is a common occurrence here, with the number of dogs in the neighbourhood, but things had been quiet for some time.
A single bark. That’s all it took to shift Cosette from deep sleep to wide awake, staring toward the door in fear.

A single bark from her, and a single reassurance from me to remind her that she is now safe, and does not live on the streets anymore. She has no need of fear.

I think back to the half-starved, more than half-starved little puppy I found not so very long ago, and the look in her eyes as I came toward her. So much fear for such a young dog. Nothing that young, be it animal or human, should know that much fear.

More than just fear though, there was hope in her eyes; something you don’t often see in the eyes of older street dogs. She wanted to trust someone and be loved and taken care of. And when she finally had someone to put that trust into, she fell headlong, not waiting to see if I earned that trust.

In spite of scary dog noises outside, Cosette remembers that she’s safe. It doesn’t take her long to fall back into a sleep so deep that she is completely limp in my arms. Rolling onto her back, all four legs splayed, she invites a belly rub. It is the most vulnerable position a dog can put itself in, but she is entirely unafraid.

Even now that she's not a tiny puppy, Cosette still likes to snuggle when she sleeps. She and I sleep like this most nights :~)

Coincidence

We had our last Wednesday night watching of Dr Who with the boys the night before the semester ended, though it was a bit fancier than usual. And by fancier, I mean we had more food. Banoffee pie, apple cake, s’mores tart, sweet corn, and papaya. The boys were pretty much in heaven. There was also a farewell for the dorm’s IG Harry, and me.

I had plans to spend the next day out of town with a friend, so I told the boys it was our final goodbye, as they would all be leaving while I was out of town. So they said their goodbyes to Cosette and me. It was a fairly emotional farewell. We’ve meant a lot to the boys, and they’ve meant a lot to us.
The following day though, I realized that I had far too much to do to go on a long bike trip. So I decided to change our plans to another day, and stay in town on Thursday.
Before I started to accomplish my list of tasks, I took Cosette to the school so she could spend the day outside. I also hoped to get a photo of one of the dorm boys, with the picture of Cosette he drew for me.

We had to wait some time for him to return to the dorm, but when he did, it was well worth it. He had been somewhat apprehensive about returning home, and as he walked down to the dorm, that was obvious on his face.
Cosette saw him from where we were sitting on a log, waiting. I turned her loose, knowing exactly what she would do. And she did not disappoint. She stretched out as she ran, the way she does only when she is super happy, and running toward someone she is very fond of. She was about halfway to him before he realized she was there.

The moment he saw Cosette, his face transformed into one of pure joy. He bent down, letting Cosette jump on his legs as he hugged and pet her. They only had time for a few minutes together, but I believe it was very much what he needed before leaving school.
It was only that evening when I learned that it was not merely my busyness and circumstances that brought Cosette and me to the school that morning. This boy had been praying all morning for one more chance to see the two of us. As much as Cosette has made a huge difference in my life, she has done the same for him. I love seeing the two of them together. Pretty sure he cares about Cosette almost as much as I do.
I was a bit bummed about changing my plans that day, but when I found out what an impact those five minutes or so made, I was perfectly happy with my choice. I would prefer five minutes bringing that much joy to one whom I care about than to spend all day selfishly doing only what I want.

I don’t believe it was a coincidence that Cosette and I ended up at Hebron that morning. I believe that we were prompted by God in order to be an answer to prayer. And it is a wonderful thing to be just that.

Sun Dog Part 2

This was written a little while ago. Most of you will already know the outcome of this, but I wanted to share my thoughts, though it has passed by now.

Cosette in her crate at the airport

We have less than a week left in India, Cosette and I. I have sent her paperwork in, to get her export papers. These are the vital papers. Without them, Cosette will not be allowed to leave India, and I will still have to leave.
There is still a chance that she will be the “Sun dog” I originally thought she may be. I am terribly afraid of that to be honest. I’ve grown very attached to this little dog, and the thought of losing her is not a good one.
I’ve been running these past few days like a chicken with its head cut off, trying to get every little bit and piece that I need for Cosette’s paperwork, hoping I’ve not left anything out or done anything wrong.
Something, though it seems like the paperwork and everything is fine, I have moments, especially as we’re snuggling in the mornings upon waking, where I think, “Oh no, this may be the last week I have with her.” I might end up being forced to leave her in India for whatever reason. It’s not that there are valid problems, but you still never know. I will not be at ease until we are through customs in Chicago and really on our way home.
Even now, as I finish writing this, I am on the plane in Frankfurt Germany, waiting to start the last leg of the trip home. The purser just confirmed the Cosette is on board, and doing well, but I still have this fear that something will happen. Perhaps they’ve confirmed that there’s a dog in the hold, but it’s the other one which was actually loaded. There are two dogs supposed to be on this flight.
Maybe I’m being neurotic. One thing that calms my heart is the knowledge that there are a lot of people praying that this puppy will arrive safely in the States. I truly believe that is what got us through the airport in Bangalore when they did not want to let Cosette’s crate through. I’m just trying to keep trusting and not panic about things. Hoping now that I’ll have many years with my Sun Dog. 

Worth it All

I am finding as I get closer to the time we are leaving, that transporting a dog internationally is far more expensive than I expected. When I first found out the ticket price, I was thrilled. It was much lower that I would have ever guessed. It made me so happy that I could bring my puppy home, which I didn’t think I could do.
But now, everything is adding up, the little bits and pieces that I didn’t realize would be there. Aiyoo...definitely wasn’t expecting that.

In a way though, I am glad that I did not know what the price would end up being. It is still well within my means to afford it, but if I had been informed of the total before starting, there is a chance that I would not have gone through with the plan to bring Cosette home. And I believe I would have ended up regretting that my whole life.
I’m guessing that if you don’t like animals, you’re probably not reading this blog, so I likely do not have to worry too much about being judged for this. Just in case though, I know she is a dog. I realize that in general, spending a large amount of money on a dog is foolish. I think the most my family has ever paid for a dog was about $20. Usually we end up getting free dogs.
However, something I have been learning lately, is to do things because you want to. To not let money stand in the way of it, but look ahead in order to make your choices. When you make a choice, think ‘will I regret deciding this way?’ And if the answer is yes, you will regret it, then decide the other way, and let nothing stand in your way. Money especially.

Not sure why this one ended up upside down, but blogger won't let me rotate it at all. Oh well...Cosette looks adorable :~)

I am not in any way saying that you should throw your money away on a lot of nonsense. For instance, I would have loved to buy a horse when I was working at a Friesian farm. There was one for sale that I really liked, but when I thought about spending $7,500 on a ten year old, green-broke, frequently lame horse, I knew that it was not a wise choice. I thought ahead, and knew that if I did not buy him, I would be a bit disappointed, but I would not regret it. It would not be something that continued to bother me my whole life.
But that is the case with bringing Cosette home. Granted, it is nowhere near the same amount of money as buying a Friesian. But it is more than I ever thought I would spend on a dog. Thinking about it though, I know for sure that if I did not bring her home, I would regret it completely. She has some major attachment issues. Even if I just step outside the house for a couple of minutes, she freaks out, howling and whining, then jumps on me the moment I return to her as though she thought I would never come back again. It would be unfair for me to leave her now.
And honestly, this puppy is well worth it. She came into my life at just the time that I most needed her. It was unexpected, though I cannot at all say she was unwanted. She has been the brightness for me during several very dark days. She was a gift from God, I truly believe that, funnily enough coming right around my “new birthday”, the day the dorm decided to choose as my birthday this year. She has made such a difference in my life in just the few months I have had her, and I can’t just dump her now.
In a disposable society and a disposable world, there are some things that need to be held onto, even if it’s not that easy.