I'm not a dog person

I'm not a dog person at all. 

I think all dogs are just too ... doggish.  They shed and eat stinky food and drool and poop and bark and whine and - I mean, they just exist, doggily. 

You can see it's not dogs' fault - they're just not my cup of tea.

But our kids are dog people, and we're trying to raise them to be compassionate, so when our friend found a little puppy abandoned in a cardboard box on the side of the highway, in the rain ... weellllllllll ... we said yes and adopted Eevee. 

I have reluctantly come to the realization that I enjoy walking her every night.

I have reluctantly come to the realization that I enjoy her ecstatic morning snuggles (even though they give me hives - ugh - yes, hives). 

And last week, we discovered a cut in the bottom of her right front food pad. It looked like maybe a split from walking on too much salt. We kept her walking to a minimum for a few days, and for a week I've been rubbing coconut oil on it to clean it and help it heal quickly. And she loves this. She licks all over my hands (yummy), and when I'm done she stretches out her toes like they're finally comfortable, exactly the way I stretch after I rub lotion on my feet before bed.

And I have reluctantly come to the realization that I enjoy taking care of her. I look forward to rubbing the oil on her dry foot pads and seeing her relief.

Reluctant because I don't really want another body to take care of (we already have a lot of those). Reluctant because I don't want more chores in the day (we already have a lot of those). Reluctant because of my allergies (I already have a lot of those).

And yet ... I love knowing she's more comfortable, or more happy, or more safe, because of something I can do. And the more I take care of her, the more I love her. The more I do for her, the more I care about her. 

There's alchemy in the world yet.

I'm not a dog person - but -