Dreamers

No, this will not be a post about Bernardo Bertolucci's odd and incestuous film starring Henry from Dawson's Creek, I promise. Or, "sorry" for those of you who are Dreamers fans. Don't get me wrong, it was a decent film...just a little messed up (okay, a lot messed up!).

By dreamers I'm referring to Antoine and I. I've always been a dreamer of sorts, usually a practical dreamer (if that's possible). I really don't dream very often at night and when I do I almost never remember what my dreams were about. Instead, I've become an avid daydreamer. When I met Antoine and discovered that he too was a daydreamer I knew that this just might work out! And since then we've been dreaming our little dreams together. We imagine where we'll be in 5 years, what home improvement adventure we'll conquer next, what our special day will be like (and yes, I'm talking about that "dun, dun, dunnah" day), and even what we'll do and where we'll travel when we're old and gray! It's a fun little activity and I think it brings us closer together.

One of our common daydreams involves us getting a puppy. Ever since we bought the house, and even before then, we've dreamt of getting a puppy. Usually the dream involves

a great dane

but occasionally

a mini-dachshund

or a french bulldog

will make an appearance. [Don't those puppies just make your heart melt?? Geez, it's just too much!] But before this little dream can become a reality I've set up a list of goals we must accomplish first.

Goal #1: Both of us must only be working one job each, no part time jobs. Puppies need love and attention and we have no time to give that to them when we are both working 60 hours a week.

Goal #2: We need to install a privacy fence in the backyard, so that the puppy has a space to run and play without concern for its safety. This would be particularly important for a great dane, since they grow to be so massive (p.s. I heart great danes)!

Goal #3: We need to be a little more financially stable. This means having enough money to buy said dog and everything that goes with it such as food, vet bills, a kennel, etc.

These are realistic goals, ones I believe we can achieve in the next year or so. But even though reaching these goals isn't in our immediate future that doesn't stop us from daydreaming and looking at puppies online. I occasionally check the Cincinnati classifieds for puppy ads, as well as www.petfinder.com, which is how we found Guillermo. A couple days ago I was browsing petfinder when I came across this little guy...

A seven week old dachshund-yorkie mix who was rescued from a puppy mill. Look at that face!!

I immediately sent the link to Antoine and he too fell in love with this little guy! Throughout the day I kept opening the link and reading the description of Patrick. He wasn't a great dane, but man was he cute! And look at those eyes and short little legs! That night Antoine and I talked about Patrick...a lot. We thought he was super cute (of course) and how he would be just the right size and temperament for our household and the cats. And that getting him, versus a great dane, would mean that maybe we wouldn't need to fence in the yard right away, that a small, free standing chain link fence might do the trick. We talked and talked, looking at his picture and dreaming up names for him (because, really, who calls a dog Patrick!?). Then we decided that we wanted him, that we were in love with that face and we could picture him in our home. I even concluded that I could change up my nights at Sbux so that someone would always be there for him in the evening.

So the next morning I emailed His Hands Extended Sanctuary about Patrick, excited about the possibility of bringing this little guy home. And 30 minutes after I sent my email I received a reply that said that Patrick had already been adopted and was happy in his new home. My heart sank. I was glad that he had found a loving home, but at the same time I was super bummed that it wasn't with Antoine and I (and the cats from hell). But shortly after I sent my sad reply back to the correspondent for HHES I realized that while I had fallen for little Patrick it must not have been meant to be. In my old age (okay, I'm not really that old, but I'm older), I've become a quasi-fatalist. If things don't happen as I want them to I chalk it up to not being the right time, the right place, the right house, the right job, or the right puppy. Maybe, just maybe, things happen for a reason and there's a puppy out there (or will be one day) that is perfect for Antoine and I. I'm convinced that when we're supposed to, when it's right for us, we'll find him. I know, it's so very philosophically fluffy of me...but oh well! Things have worked out so far, right!?