The Princess

I still remember the day we brought home Chloe, our little princess. About 14 years ago, my wife and I were both working in the office. She texted me a picture out of the blue of a sad looking dog cuddled up against her in her office cube. The text that followed was about how a coworker brought the pup, a nine-month-old mixed pit bull named April, to the office. The story was that the coworker’s neighbor didn’t want the dog anymore because they just had kids and didn’t want a dog in the house. I don’t remember my exact response back (via text), but I think it was along the lines of, “so you’re bringing her home?”

Chloe did come home that night with my wife. The two ladies picked me up from the metro station near our house. I got in the front seat as Chloe was going crazy in the back seat. I tried my best to calm her down and keep her in the back as my wife drove us to the local pet store to get Chloe a new leash and collar to replace her tattered gear.

After parking at the pet store, my wife suggested I carry Chloe through the parking lot – she’s not very good on a leash and was very skittish. I scooped up Chloe and dutifully carried her through the parking lot and to the sidewalk. As my wife pulled out a shopping cart, the sudden screeching of the carts startled Chloe, causing her to jerk back into my face. My nose cracked and blood splattered all over my button-down shirt.

My wife took Chloe into the store as I passed shocked customers on my way to the bathroom. I foolishly cracked my nose back into place in the bathroom and did my best to clean up the blood in the sink. I then sat outside on the curb and waited for my wife and Chloe to finish shopping.

After an uneventful ride home, the next task involved introducing Chloe to our older 100 lb. pit bull-mastiff mix, Ramzie. I held Chloe’s leash while my wife held Ramzie’s leash, and we gently brought them together to sniff each other. Ramzie was thoroughly uninterested in Chloe. With the pups acquainted, I left my wife and pups at home and went to my grad school class on campus.

Chloe definitely didn’t make a great first impression. But 14 years later, she’s still our little princess.

Read more about Tiny, Chloe’s little brother, in the next blog.

Shown below: Chloe snuggling with her daddy, Chloe looking like a diva princess, and Chloe playing fetch in the backyard.

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