‘Everyone is fit and has a dog’
~Part One~
Moving to Austin that was one of my initial observations, which I still stand by today over four years later. There never seems to be a shortage of sweaty people and furry friends and sometimes they are one in the same. Recognizing that it is much easier to get a dog than it is to get fit (duhhhh), I decided that would be my best route for assimilating this yankee girl deep into the heart of Texas.
Well, I was completely wrong. It is in fact, not easy to find a dog in this dog-centric city. (Perhaps my slight inability to make a decision maaaaaaay have contributed to that portion of the experience but there’s really no way to measure how much of an impact it was.) To my point, however, as Austin is the largest no kill city in the nation (with a 97% save rate as noted by Austin Pets Alive) therefore there are a lot of animals from which to choose! And so many places to find them – Austin Pets Alive, Austin Animal Center, Humane Society, SPCA, Classic Canines to name a few. And that’s before you even get into the breed specific rescues – Texas Chihuahua Rescue, Love-A-Bull, Lucky Lab and the Pug Rescue of Austin. GAH! How do you find the perfect dog for you in the perfect dog city?!
At first I thought I wanted a bigger dog but then I remembered big dog, big poop. Then I thought I’d get a pitbull since they get a bad rap and I feel badly for them. But sadly some places are breedists (ahem, I’m looking at you Miami) and with my slightly nomadic life, I needed a ‘duct tape’ kind of dog that would fit in wherever I roamed. Selfish yes, but I’m just keeping it real. I’ve always loved pugs (Gus specifically) but pugs are just such amazing dogs that they will always find homes quickly. After months of thinking about everything I decided that I wanted an older, busted up – maybe even handicapped-dog. I wanted to truly rescue a diamond in the rough -or ruff-as it may be.
With my new found awareness I started my shelter rotations. At least two to three times a week I would peruse the Austin Pets Alive, Austin Animal Center and Humane Society websites to see pictures of available dogs. Then I’d go into the actual shelters and walk the halls because some shelters didn’t post all of their available dogs on their pages due to time constraints (fair enough – they’re busy saving lives!). There was a period of time where I felt like I was in a real life perpetual loop of the Sarah McLachlan SPCA ad. My peepers and my ticker caught all the feels and couldn’t take much more of it before I would just go buy a farm and adopt them all!
But then on a random Friday evening whilst doing my usual shelter website creeper crawls, a tiny, black, bug eyed nugget of a dog popped up on the screen. With her ears back and her expressive eyes you could almost hear her saying “Pardon me, but um, this isn’t where I’m supposed to be.’ No, Lupita it was certainly not where you were supposed to be and I was going to get you out of there.
And I did. The next morning I went to the Austin Animal Center where I found Lupita in all her bald glory – pale pink skin, tail between her legs, ears back and her nose stuck through the back side of the crate pleading for attention. She could not have cared less about the waves of people behind her that would possibly be her saving grace. She gave me one little glimpse over her shoulder as if to curtly say “Yeah, good to see ya but I’ve got more important people to see.’ I looked at the other pups that were waiting for their rescuers – some would look me square in the eye and put their paws on the glass, some were barking and there were some who were so calm that they just cuddled up and slept through all of the commotion around them. All of them were adorable. All of them need homes. But the busted up, scared, seemingly sassy one was the one I wanted.
I adopted Lupita (Lupita Concheeta Fabulosa would be her full name within the 15 minutes it took to drive home from the shelter) that day not knowing a lot. I didn’t know if she would get her hair back or if she was one of those crazy chihuahuas or even if she was house trained! I tend to take a lot of chances and more often than not, get myself in a little bit over my head and regretting it. Adopting Lupita has most definitely not been one of those chances.
We were on quite the adventure that first month she came home. In four short weeks she went from the mean streets of Austin (where I’m 99% sure she ran the cartel and salsa danced at night) to going to work with me daily at the hotel and then to the gym filled with strong smells and barbells. And with one phone call that changed everything she was flying on a plane to New York to be in an even stranger home in a cold place filled with new people and emotions. She was in my arms as I said my final goodbye to my father, in my lap when I was escaping after the funeral and then back on a plane to a place that sort of felt like home. Within six weeks of rescuing Lupes (a.k.a. Lady Lupes a.k.a. Lupesy Poopsy a.k.a. Nugget a.k.a. BooBoo) I felt like she had saved me. She literally licked my tears away at times and was unknowingly pure comic relief when it was needed most.
Over the course of the last 365 days and now that’s she’s fully settled in, it’s come to light that she’s not the greatest roommate, quite frankly. She doesn’t pay rent. She’s a bed hog that throws off more heat than a Hot Pocket straight out of the microwave. I swear that after the lights are turned off she grows ten times her size in the middle of the bed and almost pushes me onto the floor. She has a tendency to smack her gums like an old man trying to get his dentures back in place and chews just as loudly. That same little mouth can breathe straight dragon’s breath to the point where I get concerned that the paint will start peeling off of the walls. She doesn’t clean up after herself (the fur rug incident comes to mind….twice), or pick up her toys. Her hair tends to show up in the darndest places and she’s bullied me out of what was once my favorite nook in the corner of the couch.
But over the course of those same 365 days since she came home to stay Lupes has also proven to be pretty stinkin awesome too. Always the fashionista she rocks everything she wears from strawberry pajamas to afro wigs to tutus and taco costumes. We did, however, hilariously learn that footwear is not her forte in the great boot debacle of Christmas 2016. Her cuddle game is as strong as her dragon breath but a much more pleasant experience. She tolerates my car radio sing alongs although I think she secretly loves my Cher impersonation. She doesn’t give me push back when I hoist her into the air like Rafiki did to Simba in the Lion King and sing ‘Ahhhh Lupitaaa you’re my favorite puppy!”. Together we cut a rug during our Sunday morning dance parties and she lets me hug her tightly and kiss on her like an elderly great aunt while telling her I love her and asking her how I got so lucky. She listens without judgment and comforts a heavy heart with a wag of her tail.
Now as I am nestled into my new corner on the couch writing this she is snoring away in my former corner of the couch. Curled up nose to tail she has decided to sleep on top of the bed I got her, not in it. Toys scattered all around and a peanut butter bone hidden somewhere within the depths of the couch cushions, saved for a later time. If i move to get up one little eye opens to assess the situation and see if it warrants her actually getting out of her comfy spot. Intermittently, she does rise, stretch and look at me and asks “You still telling people about how awesome I am?” before going back to sleep. She’s silly, she’s quirky and she’s my favorite seven pounds I gained this year.
Because All the Other Jobs Were Taken. 