How I Met My Baby...for those who want to know

Alright, I'll come right out and say it. I'm a dog lover.
And this post is for fellow dog lovers. (especially you, MJ! :)
Okeyday, so this is Callie's story!

Once upon a time....jk.
For as long as I can remember I had wanted a puppy. A Golden Retreiver puppy, to be exact. I would spend my free time reading dog training books and coming up with lists for imaginary puppy needs: shampoo, leash, collar, dishes, etc. And puppy names. I love naming animals! I still have a running list of dog names that I love. The 2 most recent are Brandywine (from the lord of the rings), and Braveheart. :) But, that's besides the point. On June 16th, 2002, I celebrated my 13th birthday in Florida. We were in the middle of our 4 1/2 month trip around the United States. In my birthday card from my parents, they promised me that when we got home, they would buy me a puppy. I had it all planned out and fantasized about my little Golden Retreiver (GR) puppy I had already named Annie. :) As you know, things didn't really work out that way...
Purebred puppies are amazingly expensive. For a decent GR, it would cost about $400, not including food and vet bills. We only spent that much money on a dog once...and that's cuz he was a trained police dog...and we needed a watch dog, but that's besides the point. :) So, as you can imagine, my parents didn't want to spend that much money. Instead I got free nickle-ads every week and searched for a cheap puppy.
I kept looking and looking and looking. On February 1st, 2001, the day the Challenger exploded, my dreams came true!! We had just spent our morning in front of the TV, watching the devastating news. Then Dad left for work even though it was a Saturday. Not long after he left, he called home and told me he had seen an ad in the paper advertising GR, rott, aus shep mix. The key was the price: $75. I quickly called the lady, and she told me they only had one puppy left, a female. woohoo. Mom, Meg, Bug, Rachie, and I piled into the car to go check out this puppy. I knew from my reading on choosing a puppy, that I shouldn't just take the puppy cuz it's cute, but to make sure it was healthy, etc. Hahaha. Those are just words. Trust me. You can go looking for a puppy with all the right rules, but when you see those soft, fluffy, rolly-polly, brown eyed, wet nosed, pink mouths w/ puppy breath, softly growling puppies, you're a gonner. And no rules in the book can stop you. :) BTW, Callie was born in December, so she wasn't very small or rolly-polly.
Anyway, back to my story. When we drove up to the ladies house, I was shocked. It was the dumpiest place ever. There was no lawn, just mud and I saw muddy, gross looking dogs in the backyard barking. I was determined to see the puppy, though. :) So, we walked up to the door and the lady opened it.....and there was my puppy. OH MY WORD. I knew she was mine the momment I saw her. She was tied to a refrigerator door handle by a leash that she was hopelessly tangled in. She made eye contact with me, and oh boy, I was like, "mom, i want her." I didn't notice until later how dumpy the house was. I can't really describe it...it was just a mess. I picked up the puppy, whom the lady had called Tiny because she was the runt, and carefully examined her to see if she was healthy. Of course, like I said, my head wasn't really in it. :) I didn't put her down, but walked right out the door. Oh, yes, don't worry, mom did pay. ;)
She was such a sulky dog when we got her. She didn't scramble around the car, but just layed there with her head on her paws. Oh I forgot to tell ya, but the lady we bought Callie from had a daughter. The girl would tell Callie to jump up on her and to "bite". Dear me. Lotsa stuff to undo, for sure!
The first thing we did was stop by the store and buy a collar. Callie's collar was extremely small. I almost had to cut it off her. On the way home, my older sister Meg, came up with the name Callie. Our relatives had a dog named Kellie, and our friends had a dog, Killie (I'm not sure how to spell that :). Little did we know that our neighbors had a GR named Callie. Hahaha. Anyway, the name stuck.
The sweetest thing was that I was Callie's from get-go. After all, I was the only one who ever fed her, bathed her, etc. She adored me, and still does! :) From day one she followed me EVERYWHERE. When I was playing the piano, she was sleeping under the piano bench. When I was doing the dishes, she was laying in the kitchen watching me. When I showered she layed on the bathroom rug. At night she slept in her crate by my bed.
Not every day was a picnic though. A puppy is a puppy and Callie was no exception. The funny thing was, she chewed on ONE pencil. That was it. She has NEVER chewed on anything else since. Not even bones. Which I don't get. She went to the bathroom in the house all the time those first few days and vomited stomach acid after every meal. We later found out that she needs "gentler" food cuz it's easier on her stomach. Callie was terrified to be left alone in her crate while we were gone like at church or somewhere else. This resulted in her defecating (yeah yeah yeah, sounds tons better :P) in her crate and smearing it everywhere. All over herself, the crate, and stuff being flung within a radius of 2 feet around her crate. So, there where many nights I had to bathe her, wash her crate, mop the floor, etc. I don't complain though cuz she is just way too precious. :) I have reason to believe that Callie was abused before we got her, because to this day, she is scared to meet new people and piddles whenever someone scares her. Poor puppy.
I remember the first vacation we went on with her and we had stopped at a gas station to take her to the bathroom. The gas station dude got down on his knees to give her a treat and Callie refused to eat it and instead rolled over onto her back and piddled for him. I was mortified. Who on earth has heard of a dog refusing a treat?? helloooo?? At the vet's office she's even worse. She does eat the treats they give her, but ooooooo soooooooo sloowly and messily that she leaves crumbs alllll over the examining table. Silly pooch.
Callie is a smart dog though. I never taught her to come...she just eventually did it. She obeys both English and German commands and hand signals. Her favorite thing to do is stare at me with her big brown puppy eyes and send me on guilt trips. She also loves rubbing her face all over my legs. It's SO cute when she runs up to me and shoves her head between my knees and just stands there. lol. She also adores our cats. Especailly the ones who run, cuz she loves to chase. :P The ones that don't run, she plays with by smashing them with her paws. The cats love her for it. :)

SO, there you have it. My pooch's story. :) I think that's the longest post yet. go figure. hahahaha.

blessings,
Becca