He may no longer be with us physically, but today we celebrate Ziggy’s fifth gotcha day.
How it started
My husband and I first discussed getting a second puppy shortly after moving into our new home. Our main criteria was that Cookie had to approve. We hoped to get a puppy that would ultimately be about her size, not that there was any guarantee.
We attended an adoption event about a month before we ultimately adopted Ziggy. As the event was winding down, we found ourselves filling out paperwork to adopt a puppy. The puppy snapped at Cookie, and we, plus the rescue organization, decided it wasn’t the right fit/time.
For several days afterward, Cookie became super clingy—which is unlike her. While she enjoys our company, she is not affectionate and loves her personal space. We started rethinking a second puppy. Maybe Cookie was destined to be a furever only child.
The big day
On National Puppy Day 2019, we went to an adoption event. I didn’t realize it was purely an adoption event. I thought it was a pet expo with a bunch of dog vendors and some adoptable pups.
My husband and I argue over who saw Ziggy first, but since this is my version of the story, we’ll go with I saw Ziggy first and made a beeline for him. After an initial hello, we did a lap around the event and came back to say an extended hello. Something that stuck out to me is that there was a row of crates behind him and all the pups in that row were barking and being all kinds of rambunctious. Ziggy was quiet. He was facing them and interested in all their yapping, but he didn’t really have anything to say.
When we opened the crate door, Cookie walked up slowly, sniffed him, and looked at us as if to say, “Ok, I sniffed him. Can we go home yet?” Ziggy was the only adoptable dog that she voluntarily went up to. Even before the previous month’s event, she seemed to know when we were around adoptable dogs and always looked nervous. As though she was worried that she was going to be exchanged.
My husband and I alternated saying hi, and Cookie kept her distance, ready to go home. The lady from the rescue group mentioned he needed a bath because he rolled in his own poop en route to the event. (Which he would eventually roll in some kind of poop at least twice…notably once during my WFH lunch break my first week at my new job at the start of he pandemic!).
There wasn’t even a hesitation about bringing him home, though Cookie immediately regretted showing the slightest interest.
At home, Cookie happily played with Ziggy in the yard and on walksbut pretty much ignored him for about a week inside the house. It never bothered Ziggy, who was content with the attention his pawrents gave. Eventually, Cookie and Ziggy became BFFs, and Cookie proudly settled into her role as Big Sister.
We miss Ziggy every day, but we’re blessed to have loved him for three years.
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