b.p.e.

Not many years ago when I saw a dog owner cooing to her little ball of fur, I put the incident in my mental "ridiculous" file, without any hesitation, but that was b.p.e. or the not so commonly known as "before Phoebe era". Now when I glimpse moments like that, I smile indulgently as one parent would to another. I can't imagine what life would be like without Phoebe, she really is like another child.

I found her photo one night on the CAWS website, a local shelter. I had been quite ill and I was looking for a dog that would be a good companion for my son who was in Kindergarten. Some body to make up for the fact that I spent large portions of my afternoons in bed. Puppet shows, stories of knights long ago, and Lego creations only go so far with a five year old. As I read her info, I thought, "Phoebe? Who names a dog Phoebe?" The name seemed altogether too human. Out of curiosity, I looked up her name to see what it meant. The name is of Greek origin and means bright light. Our cat, also from CAWS, had the same coloring and also had a Greek name, Demetrius. Same shelter, same coloring, Greek names, were they siblings in a past life? I was convinced she was for us. She was much larger than I had envisioned her to be and as part terrier, she was guaranteed to shed more than any other breed. It took two home visits for us to be approved.

The day we brought her home, my son draped her in a Superman cape and shut himself and Phoebe up in his room, much to Phoebe’s consternation. She initially wasn’t particularly interested in the children, but they didn’t seem to mind. They were thrilled to be official pet owners. The novelty of ownership wore off and soon it wasn’t of question of who owned who, but who belonged with who, and she belonged with us. Having her home was like a long wait that was finally over.
My husband, who never wanted a dog in the first place, is the one who always brings her treats, takes her at the height of her shedding in the car, and insists she accompany him for long night runs. Despite this obvious favoritism, it's really with me that she has the strongest bond. The jingle-jangle of her collar and feet pattering on the hardwood have become a part of my daily rhythm, keeping me company when everyone but us has left for the day. At thirteen, she still looks like a puppy. She was very patient for this photo shoot.