Raven

RAVEN

By Emily Stam

        

    This decision was TOUGH!! Just another reminder…cat person here. J When we found out Ava was pregnant, we started discussions about adopting one of her puppies and how the responsibilities would be divided and how we would manage and the amount of work it would take to feed and clean and train and love her. And we imagined all the exciting activities we could share with our new dog! I know my husband has wanted a dog his whole life. I knew he would be thrilled if we decided to keep one. My boys love dogs and loved Anna and love Ava so they would be happy too. So…I was the deciding factor in the family.  

I had no intention of going over to see the birth of the puppies because I’m squeamish and hate the sight of blood, but at the last minute, I was so excited, I had to go over to get just a small glimpse of a tiny new puppy. It was magical! I’ve never been a part of something like that and to hold something so small and to rub warmth into the tiny body and then deliver it back to its struggling mama was such a precious experience and will always stay with me.

Mama Ava with her brand new pups

New to the world! 

Soon, I started to imagine what it would be like to take one home. Since the very moment the pups were born, they were on my mind from the time I opened my eyes in the morning to the time I closed them at night. I texted Eric for updates all day long. I stopped to see them whenever I could. I didn’t want to admit I was already in love, but it happened so quickly I didn’t even see it coming. But I was still hesitant about if this was the right decision for US as a family. Could we give this dog the life she needs and deserves? After all, my heart was saying it would be wonderful and fun, but my brain was saying it would be SO MUCH WORK! And when it came down to it, the work would be left to me…the mom.

Baby Raven

       

         For the seven weeks the puppers lived with Eric, I loved every moment I was able to spend feeding them and taking care of them and later keeping my legs lifted in the air so they wouldn’t bite my pants and toes…. yeah…not quite the ab workout I was looking for. And to see the pride and love in Mama Ava’s eyes when we went over. To give her a pat on the head like a special kind of human-to-dog high five for keeping those puppies healthy and safe. It was great! And as much as I loved them all, there was something special about that little girl that I couldn’t let go. Back and forth, back and forth. For weeks, we discussed and went over details and never actually made a decision. Until we finally did…

A Member of the Family

        I don’t like dogs. Yes…I said that. On a blog about dogs. I’m actually a cat person. My whole life I’ve loved and identified with cats. Cat posters, cat figurines, funny cat videos, actual living cats. I loved and owned a polydactyl Siamese looking beauty named Kiara for 16 years until she got cancer and I bawled for weeks…but that’s a different story. THIS story is about a black-haired, brown-eyed beauty named Raven. She had a little bit of a rocky start at birth, but you may have already heard a little about that through Eric’s Facebook and Instagram posts. If not, backstory will come later to get you up to date.

We had a family dog while growing up, but I didn’t really have much to do with her. To me, she was kind of an afterthought. The brothers and mom took care of her and she was just always there in the backyard. Like I mentioned before…cat person here! Sadly and honestly, I don’t really remember much about her. L 

But…I had a dog once. Her name was Gizmo. She was a fluffy Bichon Frise.

Gizmo-First day home

That’s right. You’ve seen them. They look like little toy teddy bears and are ridiculously high maintenance if you keep them groomed. But this little rodent was like a ball of sunshine and she captured my heart. You always hear that you don’t pick the dog, the dog picks you. That is absolutely true! I wasn’t planning on getting a dog. Cat person. Loved my cat wholeheartedly. Maybe I was “persuaded” by my now ex-mother in-law. Maybe it was pregnancy hormones since I was six months preggo with Daegon. I really don’t know but Gizmo came home and the puppy-moon lasted exactly one hour before she pooped and peed all over my carpet and chewed up a throw pillow. Oh…and the cat HATED the little barking, bouncing ball of fluff! Gizmo was only part of my life for a short time due to life circumstances, but during our brief time together, I learned SO much about puppyhood and the loads of work required to take care of these darling fur babies. 

Gizmo-6 months old

Raven Mae-Rose Stam

I thought I was prepared for a new puppy when we made the decision to bring Raven into our family. I was so confident I could bring this little girl home and everything would be perfect. Boy was I wrong!