Furry Child

I love my dog. A lot. My Facebook and Instagram posts can substantiate this claim. It's pure fact. About 70% of my updates on social sites are Mea related. She's awesome. Sweet, smart, pretty, affectionate and exceptionally loyal. My husband even gets jealous from time to time.  At his weakest moments he wonders aloud if I love the dog more than him. Notice when he's jealous Mea loses her identity. She becomes, simply, "the dog".  

Many have joked that Mea is our trial run for having and raising children. If kids are as easy as Mea then sign me up! Mea was potty trained in a matter of weeks, and even though she has had the occasional spit up, I can honestly say it's never landed on me or my clothing. Mea will eat anything in sight and has no particular inclination to a specific type of food. She's an equal opportunity eater. She was sleeping through the night by her third night in the crate. My hubby may contest this claiming it took a few more nights for Mea to sleep through until the morning. Apparently I could sleep through the Apocalypse and definitely would not have heard a couple of whines from a little puppy downstairs. 

Regardless. I've heard of children who don't sleep through the night for years.  Family members actually take turns watching the child on a 24 hour cycle so each member can get a decent bit of rest.  A child who is on the bottle until they are almost 5 because they refuse to eat any other solid foods with decent nutritional content. This same child is colicky and spends most of her waking hours screaming, or fervently trying to pass a stool. The worst part - I am said child.

Some of you may argue that I have turned out better than most. First off, why thank you. However, I credit that to excellent parenting, supportive neighbors and a sister 14 years my senior. Truthfully, there was a crew raising me making great sacrifices including taking me down to the Las Vegas strip at 2 a.m. hoping that the lights will be enough of a distraction for me to forget about the pain in my stomach and stop screaming to eventually fall asleep. Think I would enjoy driving around at two in the morning to get Mea to stop whining? Especially if it had been going on for a couple of years? And I still had to get up for work the next morning? Let's put it this way - most of you should be very skeptical.  At best. 

I'm a firm believer in Karma. What you put out into the Universe you get back. Ten fold. In my early years, I gave the world a lot of screaming and difficulty. Although they are reluctant to admit now, I am positive that I pushed my wonderful parents to their absolute limit. They aren't patient people, this isn't much of a stretch. What's in store for me, Sweet Karma?

The fact is, I got lucky with Mea. It's the Universe's special gift to me before the hard work begins. If you're lucky enough to know her, you understand how precious she is. At times she is so expressive and insightful, I swear she is part human. My mother attests that Mea's sweet nature and good behavior has everything to do with mine and Scott's parenting. "If your dog is this well trained, I can't wait to see what your children will be like." Here's to hoping.