Choc At First Sight

"No, I cannot live without a dog!"
That's what happens, when you get used to living with one! All the hassle, the unconditional love, the wake-up licks, the tummy rubs... all in one package. That's what I sacrificed, when I got married and my dad didn't let me take the silly dachshund, Findik, with me.

He was almost 3 years old by the time, and I had taken care of him from when he was 3 months old till then. He was my baby and my best buddy. I wouldn't have exchanged anything for the welcome tail wagging. Yet, when the day came and I knew I would be so happy to marry this guy, I started to get worried. I wasn't the only one in the household, who was so attached to the dog. My mum and dad, grandparents as well, were head over heels with the little guy.

When I told dad that I wanted to marry Alper, he said, "ok, you can go get married, but I get to keep the dog". Although I had strongly believed that to be a joke, it happened to be true, and he and mum did not part with Findik!

So I told Alper, "can't liiiive, living without a doog". I'm lucky that he loves animals as much as I do, or close perhaps. Yet, he is allergic to cats, and some long haired dogs. So we agreed to get a small sized, less furry puppy. We also agreed not to buy a puppy from a breeder, or any commercial entity.

Every morning, I would get up at 5:30 and look for the ads on craigslist, dominion post and watch the bulletin updates. Since we had limitations with the breed size and the fur situation, it wasn't easy to spot a suitable puppy. As days went by, we started to eliminate the limitations, we gave up the puppy search, and considered older dogs as well.

On Memorial day, we wanted to go to the Monongalia Dog/Cat Adoption Center, but it was closed. I could barely wait for the next day to rush to the pound. So the next day, I dragged my husband to the shelter. It was so clean and odorless, and the people working there were very kind.

There were two puppies available when we visited, but they were of a large size breed. I was in the mood of "oh, what the hell, we'll take care of them somehow". And the only reason why we were looking for a small sized breed, was that smaller dogs are easier to transport. Well, my husband did not want the larger breed puppies, so we decided to take a look at the older dogs.

And there he was, the cutest dog ever, with his smitten hair, long lashes, and smiling (tongue rolled out) face, Choc. At first, we did not consider him really, there was too much barking, there were too many dogs to look at. It was a bit chaotic, when we first stepped into their territory. In cage A1, there were the smaller sized dogs, Choc, a cocker spaniel and Sophie. Sophie was looking like she was the smallest of all, a black/gray lady poodle. She was so energetic, that we thought she was a young dog but she was 5-6 years old. Still, we asked if we could take her for a walk. Just as the lady who was helping us, unlocked the cage door, I changed my mind and asked her if I could take Choc instead.

We took the little furball, funny face Choc to a fenced area, and unleashed him. He was like a plush toy bear. When he ran, he ran diagonally, and he jumped on the tennis balls like he was landing on cotton candy. He made me laugh so hard that I just wanted to take him home, and pet him for the rest of my life. But my husband had a runny nose due to the allergy.