Pippa the Pup Pup
This election season, get yourself an emotional support animal! That’s what I did! And so, meet Pippa.
Pippa is from PAWS. My family went to PAWS based on a suggestion from a kind woman named Gail, who volunteers at the Skokie Animal Shelter. She said recently there was an influx of small dogs down at Chicago Animal Control, and PAWS snagged all of the smallest pups.
We are a small dog family. Our kids are still little themselves, and so they get easily intimidated and knocked over by large dogs. My son was very hesitant about owning a dog, period. In fact, he recently asked for a lizard. Mom, I’ll give you a hint about what kind of pet I want. It’s green and walks on all fours.
However, Pippa is only nine pounds, and she won him over right away! But don’t let her size fool you; she is no pushover. She was picked up as a stray in Englewood, a neighborhood on Chicago’s Southside.
She has acclimated quickly, keeping a close watch on our front step and perfectly patrolling the backyard. She is extremely prey driven and we learned this the hard way after she chased a bunny right through the slats in our fence. Our previous dog was a runner, but she wasn’t small enough to fit through the slats. When our previous dog escaped, it was so nerve-wracking. We’d have to search all over the neighborhood. She loved Burger King, and we found her in that parking lot a few times.
But Pippa seems to understand she’s got it good. After she slipped through the fence and finished chasing the bunny, we found her right back on our front stoop.
Our family didn’t have it in us to adopt a puppy. Too much exhausting work.
However, if you’ve ever adopted an adult dog, you know that the first few days and weeks can be really stressful in a different way. Maybe you’re not dealing with puppy energy and house training and chewing/nipping. But you’re watching the dog closely for other reasons. Pippa’s four. So we watch for bad habits or aggressive behaviors. Since we have small children, we have to be careful. But so far so good with Pips!
She sleeps burrowed under the covers. She loves to lay her head on our calves under the sheets.
She even does great on the leash!
I wish I could watch a montage video of what any rescue animal experienced before they find their forever homes.
Personally, I’m fascinated by the lives that came before. How was it that little Pippa came to be picked up at 5500 South Halsted Street by Chicago Animal Control? Was she abandoned? Did she run away? She wasn’t spayed or micro-chipped, and so technically she could have been a true stray. Even though that would surprise me.
We keep discovering new things about her. This morning, I realized she knows this spin-around trick. I held up a treat and she started spinning in circles, repeatedly.
These dogs experience whole, entire lives before they come into ours. I guess we’ll never know about what they’ve witnessed. We just have to settle for feeling gratitude that they showed up at all. Personally, I’m thankful these animals are so generous with their love and trust.
