Coming home

I love all kinds of pups - purebred or mutt - but I've always had a soft spot for rescue dogs. If I could, I would totally bring one home every time Petco or PetSmart holds shelter adoption events. Meaning, every weekend.

Something tells me my apartment complex's management wouldn't like that idea.

I guess this would be a good time to explain how CeCe came to me. I've never owned a dog before her, even though as I child, I would ask for one (a Golden Retriever) every Christmas. My parents would tell me we couldn't have one because they were allergic.

(By the way, they're not allergic.)

I moved to Columbus two years ago and was determined to get a dog of my own. I wrote up a list of things I wanted in the dog: adult, male (so I could name him Boochie Boy), short-haired, laid-back temperament, one that hardly barked, preferably a dachshund mix or Jack Russell terrier mix.

I headed to the Muscogee County Humane Society on Feb. 3, 2007 to bring home just that. When I arrived, I looked through the cages and no dog really "spoke" to me. I started talking to a staffer about what I wanted. She disappeared for a bit and came back to put a tiny black and white creature in my arms.

She weighed about eight pounds - definitely malnourished - and couldn't stop shaking. Her "shelter name" was Cloe, a four-month-old Boston terrier/rat terrier mix. The shelter had no prior history on her. She curled up in my arms and licked my neck.

I took her home that day.

It took a lot of getting used to. CeCe would shake all the time. She wouldn't play with any toys. She would screech (seriously, screech) when I put her on a leash. She wanted me to carry her where ever we went.

It's been about a year and a half since we found each other. And CeCe - at a healthy 19 pounds - has definitely broken out of her shell. She loves giving dog kisses and running around in circles. She likes playing with other dogs (even if they don't like playing with her.) She walks fine on a leash, although she does pull a lot. And she doesn't shake anymore (unless the dishwasher is on...weird.)

Even though CeCe didn't fit my initial criteria, I'm convinced she was meant to come home with me that day.