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Heather Rushing
Mrs. Tieman
English 12
9 September 2013
February Miracle
A puppy. A puppy is a friend. A puppy is loyal. A puppy is a child. A puppy is what Ive always
wanted.
In the summer of 2012, my older brother, Chris, and his girlfriend, Shannon, planned to finally
move out of the house and get a place of their own. Its about time considering Chris was 25 and
Shannon was 24. Taking weeks and weeks leading towards the end of the summer, they finally found a
small little house that is perfect for them.
Everything is finally done with Chris and Shannons new home. There was one tiny problem;
they wanted to take the two dogs we had. Keeka, American Eskimo, all white, small to medium size, six
years old, and has the highest pitch-painful to the ear drum- bark. Mazzi, black Labrador mix with
German Shepherd, 99% black with the 1% brown, medium to large size, one year old, and is the most
timid dog Ive ever seen but she was a rescue dog so that explains why. Im going to miss them so much,
they pretty much were guards of our house so once theyre gone, and I will feel unprotected. Chris has
always taken care of both since weve got them, so it was only fair for him and Shannon to take the dogs
into their house, It was very depressing day watching my own brother and dogs leave our house; we all
knew it would be, but we definitely wont miss Keekas bark! Once they left, I had ideas stored.
I asked my mom a couple days after Chris and Shannon moved out, Since they moved out and
took the dogs with them, would it be possible if we get a puppy soon just for me? My mom exhaled not
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wanting to respond. Give it a good month before we decided to get a puppy, thats a lot of
responsibility. She uttered. I wanted to get a dog soon because we need something to help guard the
house since we live out in the country. I knew she wouldnt care, but after I asked, I started looking at
dog breeds. There are Dalmatians, Blue Tick Coonhounds, and Labradors that I was mainly looking into.
A few days later, my mom told me we were getting a rescue dog that is seven years old, had to have
special diets, and also could barely walk because of her knee. This dog would belong to my step dad. Her
name was Gigi. I was wretched yet raving about this. I always wanted a puppy of my own that would
belong to me and the fact that my mom stated we wouldnt get another dog for another month but my
step dad got one. I wouldnt talk to my mom for days. Now I was definitely looking at dog breed sand
prices, but then I started school.
Going to school knowing that I dont have my own dog was heart breaking to me, I couldnt
focus for a while. Once I got over the situation around September, I announced to my mom if I could get
a puppy for my birthday. My birthday is in October so it wouldnt be too far away. She asserted, Well
see. Whenever my mom says that, it normally means no, so I had to prove myself that I am responsible
enough to take care of a newborn puppy. I was so set on Blue Tick Coonhounds, they are the prettiest
dogs and I was in love with them. I read about them for weeks, explaining them to my mom. She didnt
approve of them because once I read they didnt come back to their name, she immediately declared
no. Then I decided on Labradors considering we had one before. They were pretty big and I didnt want
a small dog. She wasnt responding to a yes or a no so Im assuming she wouldnt care. Once my
birthday came around, I didnt get a puppy. My boyfriend, AJ, mentioned to my mom he would even
help buy and his family would too. My mom suggested, Wait until Christmas.
Christmas day, I see no puppy. I didnt care about any of my other gifts, I just wanted a puppy.
Later that evening I asked my mom, So is there a reason why I didnt get a puppy? She ignored and
went talking to the family. She didnt want to talk about it because she knew I was upset, but I didnt
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give up. I implied almost every day after Christmas about a puppy. What do you know a couple weeks
after the holiday, my step dad got another rescue dog, Zoey. She was three years old, a mutt of some
sort, and is miniature, Just like Gigi. At this point I really missed Keeka and Mazzi, I wanted them to
come back home. I was tore up for days leading up to weeks, not saying a word to my mother. My
attitude at this point was Im getting a puppy whether my mom likes it or not and Ajs family was willing
to pay and help out. He was just as aggravated as I was.
The middle of January, I started looking in newspapers. It just so happen to come across
miniature Australian Shepherds. They were $450 each. I anticipated all day waiting for my mom to get
home from work. 5:30 hits, I dart up to my mom while she was still in the car, holding onto the
newspaper. Mom, Mom, look at what I found. She just said, Thats nice. Thats all she had to say in
response. She obviously didnt care and didnt want to talk about it. So for a couple of days, I start
researching Australian Shepherds. The Australian Shepherd, commonly known as an
Aussie, is a breed of dog that was developed on ranches in the western United States. Once I read that
and kept reading about their intelligence, I knew my mom wouldnt have any doubts.
Searching on the web, Australian Shepherd puppies for sale, clicking on every website that
popped up. I am looking for a girl who isnt too expensive and is in the area within an hour or so of
Waynesville. No sign, but do I give up? No, never. By the end of January I found a site. Hillsboro Ohio,
Aussie puppies for sale, $300. I was in utter shock. Hillsboro is only 45 minutes to an hour away, $300
wasnt a bad price, and there were girls. I called my boyfriend right away. He was just as excited as I was.
I contacted the breeder on the website to plan a visit, you know just to go look. My mom was ok with
me just going to look, deep down inside, my mom didnt even want me to get a puppy, but she knew
thats what Ive been wanting for quite some while so she left it up to me.
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January 19, my first visit up to Hillsboro with AJ driving. 45 minutes later, we arrive at our
destination. Turning left into the driveway of acute little farm house. I was praying everything would
work out because if it didnt, then it wasnt meant to be and I wouldnt be the happiest person. I had
$50 for a down payment just in case I was interested. We park the car and we saw immediately, the
parents of the puppies. I fell in love with the father, Bear. I didnt even go in to see the puppies yet and I
was already in love with the father. Thats a sign. We knocked on the door, with a kitten standing next to
us. The breeder lets us in, and rushing to the door were all the Aussie puppies. There were seven total.
My face was blushing and my eyes were watering. I was overly happy about where I was. I kneel to the
ground and all the puppies run up onto me, almost knocking me flat on my back. It was the cutest thing
anyone could imagine. We asked the breeder serious questions of course but I was distracted. A specific
puppy wanted to sit on my lap, kept licking my fingers, kept teething as well. I knew right then and
there, she was the one. I handed the money to the breeder herself. She told me the puppies would be
ready in a couple weeks. So many thank yous came out of my mouth. That day described perfection.
Deciding on names was a tragedy. Lady, Rose, Nala, Kiara, just so many to choose from. For
those two weeks until we can get her, all I was doing was deciding on names. I am the pickiest person
when it comes to names, especially for girls. The name Rose kept getting to me, like it just couldnt get
out of my head, kept giving me a good vibe feeling. Rose. I decided on Rose. It was perfect, and
especially since she was the color red with brown, it works out perfect.
February 2, the day that changed my life, the day that Ive been waiting for, the day I become a
parent, the day I get Rose. AJ and I left that morning so we could have all day to spend time with her and
get her cozy in her new home. Turning the key in the ignition, we took off. Our next stop, Hillsboro.
Getting onto the highway 73, we start jamming to some country music. Glancing at my watch every five
minutes, pacing time just waiting and waiting. We have arrived at our destination. Walking into the door
one last time, picking up Rose with only one arm, and carrying her out to the car. Closing the car door,
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she starts to whine. I felt sorry because she has to leave her parents, but we will become her new
parents. On the way home, Rose slept most of the way, but then she starts to hurl right before we got
home. I look over on my left arm with baby chunks on my sweatshirt. I was so happy that I didnt care.
The minute I got home, I introduced her to all my pets, Gigi, Zoey, and my five cats: Goldi, Mittens,
Cobalt, Dodger, and Muffin. She got along with all of them. This day changed my life and I could never
forget this moment.
Rose is now, currently, nine months old. She is potty trained and she is incredibly smart. I usually
never have to train her, se mostly already knows. She knows how to sit, lie down, shake with both paws,
get on her hind legs, and fetch a frisbee. She is like a daughter to me and I wouldnt have wanted it to go
any other way. She is perfect for me and I am perfect for her. She knows Im her mom, or master as they
call it, and we love spending time together. She goes everywhere with me, besides school,
unfortunately. I couldnt live my life without her; she changed my life and even made me grow up.
A puppy. A puppy is a friend. A puppy is loyal. A puppy is a child. A puppy is what Ive always
wanted. A puppy I got. A puppy I earned. A puppy I love. A puppy I couldnt live my life without. A puppy
named Rose.