Squirt

 Sometimes memories pop up at the most random times.  I have often thought about getting a dog again.  And I will do that one day.  I miss having a dog and there are so many dogs out there that need a good home.  I love the support a dog gives and the unabashed affection.  They are always happy to see you, and they are a great source of comfort.  For me, it will have to be the right dog for my current situation. I do not have a fenced in backyard, so I would need a dog that will be ok being inside the majority of the time.  

Squirt basking in the sun

When Squirt came into our lives, it was the right dog at the right time.  We had come home from vacation, and our neighbor asked us if we could keep Squirt until we could find a home for him.  David, our neighbor, had found Squirt stuck in the fence the day before.  There had been a huge storm, and I think Squirt got out from wherever he was living and somehow had gotten himself stuck in the fence in David's backyard.  At the time, David had two dogs and a cat and did not have room for him.  Of course, we took him in with the intention of finding his owner. 

Squirt making his presence known next door at Lois's

I had never considered having that small of a dog.  Squirt was a chihuahua.  Buttons, the dog we had when I was growing up, was small but not chihuahua small!  Well, after multiple attempts at finding his owner, no one came forward.  I was not about to take Squirt to a shelter because chihuahuas are right behind pit bulls in the breed that will get put down because of overpopulation. Long story short, Squirt became ours and he was a part of the family for the next ten years.  Those were some of the best years of my life.  I am a caregiver by nature so having someone to look after on a daily basis suit me just fine. And he helped us as much as we helped him.

People watching on the front porch

The memories of Squirt are always with me.  Sometimes they are more prevalent than others.  The other night when Sally and I went to see Les Miz, we had dinner around the corner from my house at a restaurant called Sticks and Stones.  Incredible food, by the way. But as we were leaving, I pointed out the restaurant next door.  It's a burger place called Emma Keys and it has some of the best burgers in Greensboro. I told Sally about getting burgers for us at Emma Keys on Thursday nights.  Michael would often work late on Thursday nights, so I would be on my own for dinner.  Several times a month I would go to Emma Keys to get burgers for me and Squirt.  I would always get him a plain burger with no bun for him to enjoy.  I'm sure he was not the only dog out there to get an $8 burger all to himself each week but it was a special time for us.  He would snarf that burger down and finish his well before I was done with mine.  He loved it and I loved doing it for him.

This is the picture we took of Squirt before he was Squirt when we tried to find his owner

I am looking forward to opening up my home and my heart to another dog one day.  No one will ever take Squirt's place in my heart but somewhere out there is a dog who will love his $8 Thursday night burger!