My "Yeller" Dog

I can't fathom the idea of not having any children in the single digit age group. As of today, that is exactly what has happened. Where did the time go? My St. Patty's day boy has turned 10. We thought we would do something really special to mark this occasion and so decided to give him a pup...a yeller pup.

This all started this summer when my Ethan's(my son)cat ran away for the zilynth time. He decided he was fed up with cats and that dogs were the way to go. My response? Heck no! I had just had brand new carpet laid. No way were we going to house break a new puppy!

Then, my big mistake. See, the fall is my absoulte favorite time of year. I am an outdoor girl. I still love to climb into big old trees with a good book. I thought is would be sooo nostalgic to take my children along with me and read a classic novel. "How about 'Old Yeller.'" I thought. Well, let me tell you, it worked out just how it had in my mind...no, better. My children loved the book! Ethan especially loved it. At the end of the novel, he looked up at me with that tear streaked face and said, "Momma, I want a yeller dog." Oh boy, if that didn't pull at my heart strings!

That brings us to this past Saturday. A fellow homeschooler emailed me that he had Golden Retriever pups ready to take home. This was after I put out a search to see if anyone knew where I could find one.

It was road trip time! Olivia and I (daddy had buisness to attend to) took Ethan in the car. We told him we were taking him to get his birthday present. His eyes lit up as he spoke with that wide eyed expression. "Are we going to Wal-Mart or Target?" he asked. Olivia and I laughed. Neither, was our reply. We told him he would never guess in a bizillion years where we were going.

When we pulled into the home of the dog owners, Ethan asked, "Where are we?" I said, "You don't remember this place?" He of coarse had never been there. "Uh...kinda..." was his reply. hehe

The front door opened and a very smiley man invited us in. "Ethan doesn't know why he is here. He just knows he is getting his birthday present." I said. The man's smile brodened even wider. The man then said he had to go put the big dog away and then we could take a look.

As the man walked away Ethan looked up at me with the same face I remember from right after we had read "Old Yeller." My heart melted and the tears burned my eyes. "I'm gettin' a puppy?" he spoke softly with tears starting to sear down his face. Oh boy, I lost it. We both stood their in these stranger kitchen weeping. The man returned with a look of bewilderment on his face. I couldn't even speak to tell him what was happening. I'm not sure that I would have been able to explain it to him anyhow.

Ethan entered the kennel room and within 5 minutes had snuggled up to one "yeller" pup in particular. Now that pup, which he named Lady Bella Elizabeth Rice, is living in our home.

We have already had some pretty exciting adventures which I hope to tell soon! So here is to that sweet all-American boy of mine and his yeller puppy!