I was team cat, through and through. Dogs were foreign territory, unpredictable lickers who got underfoot and drooled all over your hands. NOT a dog person.
But I married a man who loved dogs and when it came time to bring a dog into our lives, we chose corgis. And our first corgi was perfect for someone who was by no means ready for a dog in her life.
He came from a breeder in Arizona and was 7 months old. He could’ve been a grand champion except for one small testicle that descended, saw the world, and retreated. She had experts and amateurs searching for that ball like it was the Ark of the Covenant. By the time he stepped off the plane, this dog had been probed by experts.
His name was “Pinafore, for Pete’s Sake” and he responded to “Petey.” His red and white fur was soft and his demeanor was a bit anxious, but he politely trotted out to the parking lot and rode home in the back seat with my husband crooning endearments into his ears.
We renamed him Jeeves. And what a gentleman he was.
Loving, soft, beautiful corgi. The cats were a bit intimidating, but he learned to avoid them and gravitated towards us like a flower to the sun. I read up on puppies, dog training, monks training dogs, positive reinforcement….we both took him to obedience class and he won a handsome first place trophy at the last class. He sat, stood, stayed – all this was revelatory to me because my childhood dogs did none of this.
One day I got home from work, let him out to do his business, and collapsed on the couch with a migraine. All I wanted was to disappear. At some point I opened my eyes and met his gaze. He was patiently sitting in front of my face.
I put a hand out and patted his head and fell back. When I reopened my eyes he was still there.
I could not get rid of him. I just wanted to retreat, and he just wanted to comfort. By the time my husband got home I was mildly hysterical “I have a migraine and the dog won’t go away! What does he want?”
“To love you. That’s all.” He joined me on the couch and greeted us both.
“I gave him love. I petted him and talked to him and he wouldn’t go away”
“Why would he?”
“Cats go away if you give them too much attention.”
“He’s not a cat. He just wants to love you.”
The two of them took a walk and I took some medication and a few days later realized that we now had a sociable companion who wanted to hang out and be part of whatever we were doing. I would never have another migraine without the comfort of loving brown eyes, soft fur and scratchy stubby legs. Jeeves was a perfect first dog. He melted the bars around my heart and made room for all the rest.
/dsh
Corgi and a Cuppa Tea 