During Chatito's last vet visit, we ran into new parents that happened to adopt a four-legged son a short time before their biological son was born.While waiting for the vet to remove Chatito's stitches, the giddy new parents were sharing how loving and attentive their golden retriever acted towards their new baby.
"We followed the Cesar Millan method..." shared the proud father.
"We brought a baby blanket in the house first, then took Barney (Dog's name has been changed) outside to meet Jack (baby's name has been changed)..." added the spunky new mom.
Although my husband and I have no (immediate) plans to start a "biological" family, this sort of insight seemed like great information to share with my husband a few hours later:
"Hun, did you know that we should bring Chatito outside to meet our son before we bring him in the house?" I told him later that day.
"Uh...no...." -silence- "Are you pregnant?" he asked.
"No, no - of course not." I exclaimed; then added: "Isn't it a great idea though?"
"Uh, yeah." Hubby responded - somewhat annoyed.
"I wonder if we should do the same when we get Chatito a sister?" I asked.
"Don't know. We'll talk about it when we get Chatito a sister." My hubby added.
You see, Chatito is nine...he's been my baby for most of his life. But, unfortunately, with age, Chatito has had a series of health issues in the last year: non-cancerous eye tumor, cancerous tail tumor, arthritis and a two fused spine disks.
Somehow, someway, natural aging has taken over our, until recently, healthy pug. Naturally, we think about bringing a him a sister to our home to keep our baby healthy and happy for the rest of his adult life.
My hubby, a doggy parent prior to meeting me, had the unfortunate experience of also seeing his four-legged children leave this earth; and agrees: Chatito needs company.
This is a topic that I didn't think I would need to worry about for quite some time. But the universe (or the man upstairs) had different plans.
Thankfully, there's various shelters and rescue non-profits that have plenty of pugs that need a home. And, although Chatito is a purebred pug, who's care has not only taken plenty of time but also a huge financial commitment, we are open to looking into pug adoption the second time around.
If you are also considering adding a four-legged family member to your home, I urge you to also look into these resources to adopt a pug before you consider buying from a puppy mill or mall pet retailer.
Not only will you be bringing a dog that is past the puppy stage, you will also be saving a life!
