Project Kengikat

Spoiled

// July 13th, 2010 // Animals, Me Time

People use to tell me how very spoiled I was as a kid and this is very true, I was very much spoiled. There simply is no way for me to say otherwise. For most of of my adult life the same can be said as well. In fact if you talk with my friend Vanessa she would say I was a “high baller” or the “king of nice all things nice” My friend Sean use to call me “Mr. first class.”, so again, there really is no way for me to say that I didn’t continue the tradition of being spoiled well into my adult life.

I am 41 years old now and my relationship of 15 years has been over for a while and even though we are still the best of friends, the dreams that we once had of having five kids is long behind us. At one point we were talking about 10 kids. I am cracking up as I type this now, and it has nothing to do with my 29 months of homelessness, but more to do with both our lives a very different from what they were. However we both always knew we’d be awesome parents and we’d have awesome kids that were spoiled just like we were as kids and adults.

The closest thing I have to a child is my sweet little Dodger. Dodger is my dog that I got through Animal AdvocatesAlliance. From the time I saw his picture, his face and eyes spoke volumes and when he came not more then 10 hours after seeing that picture of him, those big brown eyes and that lovable face just grew on me. After the first night I knew I didn’t want to foster him, because he was a keeper.

It’s been 6 months and just like I know I was spoiled, my little boy Dodger is so spoiled and I love spoiling him each and every day. Our bond just seems to get stronger each day. The first time Dodger was away from me for only about two hours was when Lee came to take him to get his stitches taken out. I remember walking back in and feeling this emptiness in my apartment. The trip to DC for AIDSWatch was hard for me. After my friend Tina came to pick him up I cried like a girl scout who didn’t sell damn cookies. I really had to pull myself together, pack and get in the shower. I missed him so much while I was away. It was so awesome to see Dodger at the airport when I landed. He barked and jumped when he saw me and my heart felt so damn good. It’s funny how he walks with someone while on his leash, but if he sees me stop then he turns around and pulls back toward me, barking all the way.

I was concerned at first that I would have a hard time keeping up with all I needed to be able to provide for him, so I made certain I joined PAWS to help me with things like food and VET costs. However I have yet to use the pet food from PAWS because just like having a kid I need to make sacrifices for him. I also have some really cool friends who love Dodger almost as much as I do and they too do all they can to spoil him. He only eats natural balance dog food and treats, I allow him to pick his own toys when we go to PETCO and I am very picky at who hold him and is even around him he has a USC leash and collar and I purchased a harness for him as well.

Weekends I take Dodger with my to ceramics, I play in the clay and he plays in the tall grass and gets to chase birds, squirrels and even some cats from time to time. Just like his daddy, Dodger is very picky about who he allows in his space. There is this little dog that comes to ceramics from time to time, but Dodger wants no parts of him. He basically ignores him, however last week he had to get a bit rough with the dog to show him he wanted to be left alone. We spend the entire weekend out walking and exploring. I think he knows when the weekend is here cause as soon as I am up on Saturday he is all hyper and ready to go. After our long days we take a much need nap on the sofa.

Sunday is a special day for Dodger. He knows when I take down his special bowl he is in for a awesome treat because Sunday after we get home from ceramics, after our evening outreach, we both have dinner together. This past Sunday I had some beef stew that I made and so did Dodger. However I mixed his with some of his special treats and some of his dry dog food. It is always so cool to watch him eat food and then see him lick his chops. I picked him up and he is quick to give me a kiss to thank me for his special little treat.

I am so blessed to have this special dog in my life. He is kind, loyal and very loving. To sound like a proud parent, Dodger is the best dog around and there is no one better then him. He is my sexy little dog.

It’s been great being a parent.