Brown's Paper Bag: An Open Letter to Lucy

On this, the day after your uncelebrated 5th birthday.

Four years ago, when Daddy and I found you online and called down to the Birmingham-Jefferson County Animal Control Center, we were just married and hadn't actually ever discussed getting a dog. I think somehow we both knew it would happen one day but we didn't know it would be three months after getting married. I found you, I sent your picture to Daddy, and the next day, I drove to Birmingham to meet you.

How could any one have seen this picture and not fallen

in love you immediately? I just don't understand.

You were there, quiet and alone, in a room full of loudly barking dogs. You were quiet and scared. You were skinny, but not the lean, muscular type of skinny. You were malnourished and your fur was long and dirty. You had sad eyes and looked at me like you were afraid of me.

But when I got you on the leash and outside, you ran like you didn't have a care in the world. You jumped to eye-level with me and your tongue hung out of your mouth as you ran in circles around me and rolled over for me to rub your belly- "Could she be my new Mommie?"

"Pick me. Choose me. Love me."

-Dr. Meredith Grey, not in reference to a dog.

I was. I was hooked. I wasn't allowed to take you home that day- but I would have. There were a few loose ends that needed to be tied up between you and the Shelter before I could bring you to your forever home. We had a house, and a bed, and fabric toys, rubber toys, chewing toys, toys with squeaks, toys with crinkles, toys with fluff - so, so much fluff. We had food and water bowls, along with food and cookies. We had a leash and collar- the very ones you still use today. We had a name tag, a vet lined up, and a name.

Lucy.

Also known as: Puppy, Puppycakes; Boogers, Lucykins, Puppins, Puppers McGee, Boogers McCheese, etc.

Three days later when we picked you up from the Shelter, we were warned that you'd had surgery just hours prior and that you'd be groggy, and might be scared or in pain, and that you might act tired and lethargic.

Well that didn't happen, and you've never acted tired, lethargic, or groggy since then. We picked you up, we put your collar on you, we tied a bow around it (for your unofficial new birthday, and because you were our Christmas present to us), and put you in the car on the towel across the back seat. I sat back there with you to keep you company and pet you and help you feel safe, while Daddy drove us home. To your new home! To your forever home! To a place where you'll be loved and cared for and walked and played with and everything else that comes from being the Family Dog.

December 16, 2011

And then... we brought home Not So Furry Puppy on June 21, 2015. And our sweet Puppykins got pushed aside.

You get yelled at now, for wanting to be with us- because when you shake, you wake up the baby, who is slooooowly drifting off to sleep- finally, and because you carry germs that we don't want to risk getting on the baby. You get grunts and sighs because you want to play with the baby, but he just wasn't big enough to play with you yet. Your walks got shorter and play time was abruptly cut in half (if not worse). You are back to sleeping in your house at night, lest you go into the baby's room and wake him up. You see all the new toys the baby has - things that squeak, or crinkle, or have fluff - and you can't play with them. You watch Mommie and Daddy go nuts over this tiny little thing just just lays there! and cries and has a bad smelling lower region. Its cries kept you up at night and its presence leaves you alone throughout the day.

Six months have gone by since we brought home Baby Brother, and now that he's about to start eating finger foods...

I t ' s a b o u t t o g e t g o o d f o r y o u a g a i n .

Happy birthday, Lucy!

You will always be our first (furry) child.

Love,
Mommie and Daddy