Gotcha Day

Celebrating our dogs Gotcha day is so much more to us. Although all of our pets are rescues, we gave everyone a birthday and we write it on the calendar - but Gotcha Day is so much more than a birthday. The day we chose to make a commitment to adopt a pet and take care of them for the rest of their lives is so much to us.

Today we celebrate Maximus's Gotcha day. 15 years ago I woke up in a new house (like 2 weeks post move), 6 months pregnant and ready to celebrate our one year wedding anniversary but first I said "LET'S GO LOOK AT A PUPPY". Kyle had disagreed with me the night before, but I am pretty hard to resist. We set out for an adoption event in Hillside to meet a fluffy ball of fur. Tthat little ball of fur wasn't the right one and I was bummed but we were set to go home without a fur kid since he wasn't a good fit. Then it happened. We saw a big crate with a giant baby in it and i asked to see him. He was so sweet and so scared. He came out of the crate and put his head in my lap and on top of the baby belly I was sporting. Well, you can only imagine what happened next....I was SOBBING.

Our kids have heard the story of his Gotcha day their whole lives. He was our first "baby" together. He was a ton of work, he chewed things, he destroyed blankets, he pooped in his crate, he nipped my ankles when I came home for lunch everyday for his first 3 months we had him. When we reminisce about him he was perfect but he wasn't. He was a normal puppy who destroyed things and ran away and caused trouble. But all the work we put in made him a well mannered, trusted and loyal companion. A dog that others will be held up to as a standard. He was the most amazing babysitter, he was dressed up and led around the house by a tiny Lulu and eventually a tiny Jackson. He accepted all the dogs (fosters and adoptees) and the cats that came into our lives with out question. He was the Bub. And I miss him.