Let me introduce you to the best birthday present I ever received: Henry!
As an animal-lover, I’ve always loved going into Petsmart on Saturdays. Well, loved and hated it at the same time. You see, Saturdays are adoption days at Petsmart, which means the store is filled with adorable little critters in desperate need of a loving home. Visits to the store would play out like this:
CCK: Mom, can we please adopt a dog? Pleeeease?
Mom: Katie, we have a dog. Molly would not be happy if we forced her to share the limelight with another dog.
CCK: But otherwise they’ll go back to the shelter, and many of them will be put to sleep!
Mom: Don’t think about it; it’s too sad, and we really can’t adopt another dog. Your dad wouldn’t allow it.
About a week before my eighteenth birthday, Molly needed dog food. A trip to Petsmart was in order. And it just so happened to be a Saturday. By now, I knew not to even ask if we could adopt one of the wide-eyed, tail-wagging pups at the store. Resigned to my one-dog life, I silently cuddled with an especially-spunky puppy. So my jaw almost fell through the floor when:
Mom: Would you like to take him home?
CCK: That’s really mean. You know how much I want to save one; why would you joke about something like that?
Mom: What if I’m not joking? It’s almost your 18th birthday.
CCK: (Still not letting herself believe it.) You said Dad wouldn’t go for it. Nor Molly.
Mom: I don’t know, Katie. He’s really cute. Your dad couldn’t stay mad at a face like that for long. And I bet Molly would at least tolerate him, if not learn to love him.
And so…
It always makes me sad to see all the dogs for sale in pet shops (mostly from puppy mills). Why buy a puppy when you can rescue one as cute as Henry? It’s cheaper and you’re saving a life! Henry came from an abusive home, so he was terrified of people, animals, and especially feet when we first brought him home. In fact, it was months before we even knew he could bark. But the poor (well, not anymore) guy has come a long way. Nowadays, he is the ultimate lap dog, ad you can’t stop him from giving you kisses!
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The best birthday present I received was the day before my 30th birthday I found out my husband and I were expecting our little girl. 3 years later, life has never been the same 🙂 and getting news like that hours before the big 3-0 bday was something I will never forget. All my other presents pale in comparison to the point I can’t even remember them. Usually days/weeks after the holiday, I don’t remember the gift, just the special times I had with friends/fam. Truly, it’s not about the gifts. Enjoy your Sunday chica!
Aw, how sweet about Henry. I totally agree with you that adopting is the only way to go – if you have room in your life for a pet and don’t adopt, you’re basically sentencing a shelter animal to death! I just adopted my two little ratties, and I’m so excited to have them! They’re both a little older, and pretty under socialized, but they’re slowly warming up to me! 🙂
-Eve
Henry is adorable. I’d really like to adopt a dog someday! I keep researching poodle rescues (my family has a standard poodle) and dreaming. 🙂
My best birthday present ever was my cat! Actually, I received both of my cats for birthdays. One when I was just 10 (she was a kitten … oh the scratches as we grew up together), and the wonderful cat we have now when I was … um, well, older. We have had her for nine years as of October and she is still the most wonderful, cuddly cat ever.
Henry is so cute. Look at the blue-green colour of his eyes! I love pets, they’re much more easier to handle than children.
I had a cat not long ago, but my dad threw him away while I was in China. :'(
Aww, this is such a sweet post! I don’t really know what my best birthday present ever was. I do really love my bike that I got for my birthday, maybe that’s my favorite. I don’t know how anyone can buy instead of adopt, when so many dogs need homes. We rescued our dog Rowdy from the pound on a day that they had to “get rid” of a lot of dogs, and I’m sooooo glad we adopted him. He’s so sweet, and he’s the best cuddle buddy ever!
I always wanted a pooch but my sister is allergic.. I begged my mom to just get rid of my sis but for some reason she wouldn’t allow it, so strange! 😉
Henry is such a blessing <3!
What a great story!!! The first year the fiance and I were together, I had just moved into a new apartment, and he noticed that I didn’t have a decent television… so he surprised me and went out and got me a new one! It was more the thoughtfulness than the TV that was great…but the TV was nice too!
What a sweet story! Henry is beautiful 🙂
My best present was when my bf came to my house. He drove for 8 hours in a bus just to be with me for a few hours. My cat was injured, I was so sad on my 18 bday, and he was all I needed.
p.s. my cat died the day after 🙁
What a wonderful post ~ it’s great to hear Henry’s ‘story’ and it sounds like the two of you were just meant for each other. I totally agree with you about the need for more people to rescue dogs, and it makes me so sad and angry when people buy from unscrupulous breeders. I used to volunteer in an RSPCA cattery and the state some of the poor souls came in in was just heartbreaking…eventually I had to leave because it was just too distressing that I couldn’t save them all and take them all home…I still feel so guilty about that, and wish I could have been stronger for them.
Henry is adorable, and personality-wise reminds me of my rescue cat, Minnie. She too came from two consecutive homes where she had been abused and feet were her greatest fear for many years.
Once again, thank you for such a heart-warming and poignant post : )
That’s awesome. I went to buy shoes once at DSW and next door was petsmart. I heard all the commotion that is a saturday adoption day there and HAD to go over and look. I fell in love with this one dog but it was too late to have the place call my apartment complex to check I could have dogs. I waited a whole week and it sucked. The next weekend I was the first one there and got to take my baby home. I have had her 4 1/2 years I am so happy she was able to come with us overseas (I posted pics a few days ago on my blog of her attempting to swim for the first time). It is so easy to get sucked in when it comes to adoption day. I found my cat in a dumpster. Adopted animals rule!
The best birthday present I ever got (and my husband and I do go over board with presents) was the wii for this past birthday. Now I can stay entertained when I am home alone since I live overseas and have no family here. He also got me the wii fit so I can do workouts if I don’t leave the house in the bad weather.
Awee. So how did Molly react?
& ITA about adopting, there’s no excuse. There are breed specific rescues, if you want a particular breed & shelters are FULL of full of dogs that came from legit breeders, bc animal owners everywhere are giving up their pets to save money. Sadly, it’s one of the first expense cuts families are making (don’t ask me how!)
I got to spend many different nights celebrating my birthday this year with many different friends, and I can say honestly that it’s the best present I could have hoped for 🙂
such a beautiful puppy 🙂
me and my sister got a puppy on our 7th Christmas 🙂 A golden cocker spaniel we named Quincy
he is majorly precious. i adore him.
he is getting so old, and need surgery on his eye next month 🙁
GREAT post Katie. My innards get all twisted when I hear anyone say that they BOUGHT a dog or cat. I won’t go on about it, and I try to give them the benefit of the doubt that they do not KNOW that they could in fact adopt a dog (even a very special, coveted breed) from a shelter or a specialty rescue organization. So my hats off to you!
One of the best birthday presents was a weekend in Sideways Wine country (aka Santa Barbara) with a slew of my family and friends. Good times.
My favorite bday present was my baby kittens… ok they’re not kittens anymore but I still think of them that way 🙂
Aww, what a cute dog! That is such a great present.
My favorite birthday present was on my 19th birthday and my boyfriend took me to Michael Mina for dinner and gave me a ring he bought made out of a vintage 1930’s button. Haha. I usually cry on my birthdays but that was my best birthday yet and no crying!
Katie, that is the sweetest story. Henry is sooo lucky to have you! It really does make me sad to think of all those poor abused and also orphaned animals suffering out there. That’s why I ALWAYS tell people to adopt a pet rather than getting one from a pet store or breeder.
wow katie….I must say that doggie is quite adorable. My best birthday present was also a dog that my parents adopted for me from a shelter. It was kind of like what happened to you – we already had a dog but I wanted another one really badly and finally my parents gave in. He’s a miniature poodle who was originally given the name “Peewee” by his foster mom but I had to change it. He was only a peewee because he was soooo skinny having been a stray. I changed it to Cheddar. I really don’t know why since I hate cheese…I just thought it was a cute name I guess.