Aspen

Josh and I have a chihuahua named Wiloe Mae and a cat named Roscoe. Wiloe Mae was bought for me by one of the friends I first met in KC. Wiloe is a $564.27 pure blooded chihuahua. Roscoe is an $85 Wayside Waif (http://www.waysidewaifs.org/) owner surrendered cat. Wiloe weighs a whopping 4 pounds and is 6 years old. Roscoe weighs in at 14 pounds (healthy, he's taller than the average cat) and is 9 years old.

Recently we added to our family a $99 Wayside Waif stray dog. Aspen is a 2 1/2 year old Jack Russell Terrier weighing in at 10 pounds. She's pretty cool because she can do back flips! Here's how she came home with us...

I went to go get a manicure and pedicure with my mother-in-law, Barb. On the way back to her house, I decided I wanted to stop and look at Wayside Waifs at the animals. We had gotten Roscoe there and love him. I thought, unbeknownst to my husband, that a 2nd dog would be great for us. A small dog still, but one with energy and spunk. One that would be unafraid to traip off with Josh on his wild ideas and through creeks with him. As we walked through the kennels, I saw Aspen. (WW named her Gidget, but we didn't think the name fit.) She put her side as close to the kennel as she could and moved back and forth slightly. Then she gave the "Can you reach that itch between my shoulders? I can't get it!" look. I told Barb matteroffactly, "That dog is coming to live with Josh and me!"

The next task was the hardest, convincing my "I don't like change at all" husband, that this change would be good. It took me 30 minutes to coax him in to returning to WW with me to see Aspen. He looked at her in her cage, again pressed as close as she could to the kennel, and sighed. "I don't think I want another pet. And if I had my choice, it would be a cat again. Or at least a dog with more energy than this one." I looked at him, then Aspen and nodded. "Oh, another cat that you're alergic too? Don't you remember this winter when you were grumpy all the time until I bought the humidifier. I know you love Roscoe, but this dog, she has the energy you want."

I convinced him to have a look at her in a bigger cage where she could stretch her Jack Russ legs. The minute she was down and unhooked, she ran several circles around Josh, the volunteer, and myself. She then ran at me full speed and jumped. Rebounding off of me she did her first back flip and I laughed. Sure it was blow because she hit pretty hard, but it was all good. Josh sat down in a chair and watched Aspen run herself silly.

As if Aspen had finally figured out I couldn't make the decision alone, she walked over to Josh and put both front paws on his lap then gave him a "I'm the cutest doggone dog you ever saw. You know you want to take me home" look. Josh's response over and over, "Don't give me that look. Sure your cute, but don't look at me like that. You will not guilt me into taking you home!"

Needless to say, the next day Aspen came home with us. She was diagnosed with heartworms at WW and had already begun the treatments. She is slowing overcoming them and getting her energy and strength back. Since she is not spayed, WW will take care of it at no extra charge.

Here is our new doggy: