Welcoming a new old friend as life takes a turn
By Mikkel Becker
September 2, 2010
Seems as if I’ve been given a lifetime of change in a very short time.
After a year of counseling together, my husband of almost four years and I decided that we were better off not being together. Details spared, Pat and I are trying to work out a loving, supportive arrangement for our 9-month-old daughter, Reagan, who is the love our lives. Pat’s parents went through a divorce when he was young, and we both hope to spare Reagan the worst of what can happen by making our separation one where we can still speak highly of each other, be supportive and stay friends. We both dread not having our daughter with us all the time, but this is a challenge we must meet.
There was also the issue of our pets. Our two pugs, Willy and Bruce, have been buddies since they were puppies but they both seem to prefer our company even to each other’s. Each dog had long ago picked out on which one of us he belonged to: Willy has always been my shadow, and Bruce has been Pat’s play buddy. We followed their lead, and so a couple weeks ago as I moved back to North Idaho, I left Bruce with Pat. And yes, I cried, but it was the right decision for him, and for Pat. I have had Bruce here since while Pat visited family, and they love being reunited. But I know it’s temporary, even if they do not.
But Willy is friendless no more. I was checking out the PetFinder.com application, which I’d downloaded on my iPhone, more out of curiosity for the new program than for anything else. The first dog who popped up was a Pomeranian named Mister Teddy Bear, age 10. He was older than I would have once considered adoptable, but I know far better now. I couldn’t resist his sweet puppy-faced picture, and I passed the iPhone around to my family to share.
We all talked about him, and we all knew that I could make the rest of Teddy’s life as loved and well-cared for as possible. I called and was delighted to hear that he had a “therapy dog personality” and loved everyone, including children and other pets. I had to meet him, and the rescue group set a time to come over to my new home.
I opened the door to a happy fluff ball who looked like a husky puppy, and when he looked up I could see why he was named “Mister Teddy Bear’ — his round, chocolate eyes and his roll- polly body covered with fuzz that made him look like Reagan’s stuffed bear. Teddy attached himself to me like a conjoined twin as I talked to the adoption representatives about him.
I found out that Teddy had been on Craig’s List needing a new home, and that he was in desperate need of veterinary care: To start, he needed to have all of his rotted, painful teeth removed from his years of neglect. The rescue group picked up Teddy as soon as they saw the ad, and they found his condition worse than they’d anticipated. His hair was so matted that what looked to be part of his chin was actually a mass of fur, plastic, food, and other debris. The mat had been on Teddy’s body for so long that it actually had become a part of him, and they needed to remove part of the skin and start him on antibiotics for an infection. In addition to the dental surgery (all but two teeth were to come out because those two were needed to keep his jaw from collapsing), he needed to be completely shaved because his hair was too tangled from years of not being brushed to get a comb through. He also had not been neutered.
“Teddy was a fighter and had a strong spirit,” Debbie and Catherine told me. After all the work on him was done, he was more energetic than ever.
We introduced Teddy to the pugs, and after a few sniffs of greeting, he was accepted into the family. The way Teddy acted so attached to me at our first greeting, comfortable in my home and with the pugs, it almost felt as if we’d met before, and I knew Teddy was mine.
After signing final adoption papers, Teddy officially became Mister Teddy Bear Becker, a dog who now had a forever home. Teddy is already sleeping on the bed, following me around like a second shadow behind Willy, and is sleeping under my desk right now as I write. Even if Teddy is small in stature and old in years, I am amazed at the warmth of spirit he has, and I feel all the more blessed that God has brought me Teddy for just the right change at just the right time.
In the spirit of change, I realize that Teddy will take different care from the pugs, who are young, healthy, and full of energy (and have all their teeth.) I will be training Teddy with the clicker, but, I realize many of the treats I use for Willy won’t work for Teddy, because he doesn’t have teeth to chew. Any suggestions from all of you for treats a toothless dog can eat? Also, Willy has way more energy than Teddy. Today on our walk I carried 8-pound Teddy for most of the walk, while WIlly surged forward with gusto. Any other wisdom from all you of you to share about balancing dogs of different ages and stages?
Yes, it’s a lot of change. I’ll soon be alone with my daughter, half as many pugs and a new heart dog named Teddy. Through faith, family, friendship and furry friends, life’s changes become that much more bearable, I know.




