My brother is deaf and has always had a special bond with his dog. He was pretty comparable to a seeing eye dog for him - well a hearing ear dog I guess -LOL-. Anyhow, my brother lives alone and not only relied on Kidder (his lab/golden mix), but Kidder was Kevin's best friend and companion. Unfortunately, hip displaysia set in last year and Kidder's condition declined rapidly. Kevin got him a harness to carry his back legs (as they became paralyzed) so he could still go on walks. He carried him everywhere (he weighed 90 pounds) and even took him to the ocean for water therapy. Unfortunately, there was no way around it; the only humane choice was to put Kidder to sleep. That happened about six months ago. My brother lost his only friend and companion of ten years. It was heart breaking. Since then he's been pretty lonely and my heart just ached for how miserable he was.
A few weeks ago my mom jokingly asked Kevin if he wanted a puppy for his birthday, but figured he'd say no, because it might be too soon for him. Well, the thought just had never entered his mind and he told her he had to think about it. That's when I devised my birthday plans for him. After he told her he might want a puppy . . . . I was so excited for the surprise I had planned. I told him to keep his birthday open because I had a really exciting surprise place that I wanted to take him to. Of course, I was hoping it would be as fun for him as I was imagining. I planned to take him to the Humane Society and ASPCA so he could browse through the possible pets. Every time I talked to him over the two weeks prior I would remind him I had a surprise on his birthday. He got excited and had no idea what I was planning. My mom took him out to a glow-in-the dark mini golf place and then to lunch - which is what he wanted to do for his birthday. So, since she gave him exactly what he wanted to do, I figured he couldn't be too disappointed if this turned out to be a total bust.
On Monday September 8, we left for his big surprise at 9:30am, which is a huge accomplishment for both of us on a day off - we are not morning people. The whole drive there I was asking him what he thought we were going to do, and he's reading my directions trying to figure out where we're going. When we pulled into the parking lot of Orange County Animal Services, it took him a second to realize that we were there. Then, it sunk in. I told him we were only there to browse and get some idea of what he might be looking for. We'd look at the cats and the dogs and if there was an animal that he really wanted we would get it and I'd pay for all the supplies. His face just lit up and his smile was ear to ear. I explained that there are new animals every day, so if we didn't find anything today, we would go back every week on my day off until he felt like he had found a good companion. He agreed and we started our journey. We went into the cat room first - which is where my kids wanted to stay. A huge room with loose cats and tons of cat toys; they were happy there. But, Kevin really isn't a cat person; and going from a 90 pound dog to a cat seemed like too much change. We went into the kennels with our pencil and paper to write down kennel numbers and IDs of the dogs he might be interested in. After about an hour of walking up and down the kennels we had a list of 7 dogs and puppies. We took our list back to the front desk and they narrowed it down by those that had adoptions pending. We went back to the kennels and Kevin took out two dogs. He liked them both. I told him we could go across the street to the ASPCA and look at the dogs there. He found another dog there that he really liked. He had to work for a few hours at 1:00. I dropped him off at work and told him I'd pick him up when he's done and we'd figure it out from there.
Orange County Animal Services has a website where you can look up animals by kennel number and animal ID to find out more info. I looked up all the animals we had written down. One of the dogs that Kevin really liked was not listed on there; it wasn't even listed as adoption pending. I was nervous that it might have been adopted since we left. Kevin finished his work as quickly as he could and called to tell me that he really wanted to go back to OCAS right then. I reiterated, "Kevin, you don't have to get a dog today. Don't choose a dog just because it's there in front of you. You really need to want that particular dog." He said he had decided he really wanted to go back and play with the first dog we took out and then make up his mind for sure. Of course, that is the dog that wasn't listed online. We got stuck in traffic and barely made it before they closed (ten minutes to be exact). The dog he wanted was still there in kennel number 25. He took him out again and with a huge grin said, "I really want this dog." We filled out all the paperwork and Kevin was approved to adopt him. There is a seven-day wait period because he needs to be fixed and get his shots. As we were leaving I remembered that I had my camera in the diaper bag. They were closing up, but I asked if we could go back to the kennels and take a picture with the dog. The volunteers had all left, so there was no one to take him out; but we went back to the kennels to take a picture. There was an animal services officer locking up the cages. It's not really something they handle - taking animals out for people; but I told her we'd just filled out the adoption paperwork and asked if she could take the dog out so Kevin could see him one last time and I could take some pictures. She agreed and opened his kennel. While I was taking pictures the officer was reviewing his file that they keep on the kennel. She made the comment, "Wow, you really saved him." Of course, I assumed that she meant because we were adopting an animal we were saving him from an uncertain fate. With that thought, I asked what she meant. She said, "He was scheduled to be put down this morning. He's been here for a while. I guess they gave him an extra day because he's young . . . but his clinic date was set for this morning." I was teary-eyed. Kevin didn't hear her. When we walked out, I told him what the officer said. He just stopped, looked down, and said, "Wow, this dog really was meant for me." Then, he pulled his sunglasses down over his eyes. I can only assume he was as choked up as I was. Now, I know why the dog in kennel number twenty-five wasn't listed on the website. He was not supposed to be alive. Kevin was so excited all the way home! We talked about training, dog parks, supplies, and how we hoped we'd be able to go together to pick him up. We picked up some pizza on the way home and had a pizza party, birthday cake, ice cream and candles that just would not go out! It was such a fun and happy day. I've always said I hate to celebrate my birthday. This year I didn’t - I celebrated Kevin's birthday . . . and it was the best gift I've ever received. (I believe I conveniently left out that we have the same birth date.)
A few weeks ago my mom jokingly asked Kevin if he wanted a puppy for his birthday, but figured he'd say no, because it might be too soon for him. Well, the thought just had never entered his mind and he told her he had to think about it. That's when I devised my birthday plans for him. After he told her he might want a puppy . . . . I was so excited for the surprise I had planned. I told him to keep his birthday open because I had a really exciting surprise place that I wanted to take him to. Of course, I was hoping it would be as fun for him as I was imagining. I planned to take him to the Humane Society and ASPCA so he could browse through the possible pets. Every time I talked to him over the two weeks prior I would remind him I had a surprise on his birthday. He got excited and had no idea what I was planning. My mom took him out to a glow-in-the dark mini golf place and then to lunch - which is what he wanted to do for his birthday. So, since she gave him exactly what he wanted to do, I figured he couldn't be too disappointed if this turned out to be a total bust.
On Monday September 8, we left for his big surprise at 9:30am, which is a huge accomplishment for both of us on a day off - we are not morning people. The whole drive there I was asking him what he thought we were going to do, and he's reading my directions trying to figure out where we're going. When we pulled into the parking lot of Orange County Animal Services, it took him a second to realize that we were there. Then, it sunk in. I told him we were only there to browse and get some idea of what he might be looking for. We'd look at the cats and the dogs and if there was an animal that he really wanted we would get it and I'd pay for all the supplies. His face just lit up and his smile was ear to ear. I explained that there are new animals every day, so if we didn't find anything today, we would go back every week on my day off until he felt like he had found a good companion. He agreed and we started our journey. We went into the cat room first - which is where my kids wanted to stay. A huge room with loose cats and tons of cat toys; they were happy there. But, Kevin really isn't a cat person; and going from a 90 pound dog to a cat seemed like too much change. We went into the kennels with our pencil and paper to write down kennel numbers and IDs of the dogs he might be interested in. After about an hour of walking up and down the kennels we had a list of 7 dogs and puppies. We took our list back to the front desk and they narrowed it down by those that had adoptions pending. We went back to the kennels and Kevin took out two dogs. He liked them both. I told him we could go across the street to the ASPCA and look at the dogs there. He found another dog there that he really liked. He had to work for a few hours at 1:00. I dropped him off at work and told him I'd pick him up when he's done and we'd figure it out from there.
Orange County Animal Services has a website where you can look up animals by kennel number and animal ID to find out more info. I looked up all the animals we had written down. One of the dogs that Kevin really liked was not listed on there; it wasn't even listed as adoption pending. I was nervous that it might have been adopted since we left. Kevin finished his work as quickly as he could and called to tell me that he really wanted to go back to OCAS right then. I reiterated, "Kevin, you don't have to get a dog today. Don't choose a dog just because it's there in front of you. You really need to want that particular dog." He said he had decided he really wanted to go back and play with the first dog we took out and then make up his mind for sure. Of course, that is the dog that wasn't listed online. We got stuck in traffic and barely made it before they closed (ten minutes to be exact). The dog he wanted was still there in kennel number 25. He took him out again and with a huge grin said, "I really want this dog." We filled out all the paperwork and Kevin was approved to adopt him. There is a seven-day wait period because he needs to be fixed and get his shots. As we were leaving I remembered that I had my camera in the diaper bag. They were closing up, but I asked if we could go back to the kennels and take a picture with the dog. The volunteers had all left, so there was no one to take him out; but we went back to the kennels to take a picture. There was an animal services officer locking up the cages. It's not really something they handle - taking animals out for people; but I told her we'd just filled out the adoption paperwork and asked if she could take the dog out so Kevin could see him one last time and I could take some pictures. She agreed and opened his kennel. While I was taking pictures the officer was reviewing his file that they keep on the kennel. She made the comment, "Wow, you really saved him." Of course, I assumed that she meant because we were adopting an animal we were saving him from an uncertain fate. With that thought, I asked what she meant. She said, "He was scheduled to be put down this morning. He's been here for a while. I guess they gave him an extra day because he's young . . . but his clinic date was set for this morning." I was teary-eyed. Kevin didn't hear her. When we walked out, I told him what the officer said. He just stopped, looked down, and said, "Wow, this dog really was meant for me." Then, he pulled his sunglasses down over his eyes. I can only assume he was as choked up as I was. Now, I know why the dog in kennel number twenty-five wasn't listed on the website. He was not supposed to be alive. Kevin was so excited all the way home! We talked about training, dog parks, supplies, and how we hoped we'd be able to go together to pick him up. We picked up some pizza on the way home and had a pizza party, birthday cake, ice cream and candles that just would not go out! It was such a fun and happy day. I've always said I hate to celebrate my birthday. This year I didn’t - I celebrated Kevin's birthday . . . and it was the best gift I've ever received. (I believe I conveniently left out that we have the same birth date.)
