Becoming a dog person

This post has nothing to do with New Zealand. It has to do with my becoming a dog person.
I have never been a dog person per se. Just ask Brent. Whenever I would lurch away from an inbound dog bark/jump/drool, Brent would remark: She's not a dog person. It was always said as an apology more than a fact - likely to explain to the dog owner why I was not enthusiastically petting and groping the shedding, sometimes smelly, slurpy tongued canine.

I actually AM a dog person I thought...as long as the dog is a little dog. The years went by with this cycle - dog approaches. I withdraw [usually more out of being a clean freak than NOT a dog person].

This is all before Baci. This is how far I've come....

We arrive in NZ in Auckland. [This part of the post IS about NZ..a little bit]. Brent must go to an interview at the home of a woman who works for the health board. It is his final "certification" process. We arrive disheveled and tired - straight from the plane. Jilly ushers us into her house and I notice what appear to be doggie gates at the top of the stairs. Do you have dogs? I ask her. [Wondering if I'm being incredibly rude thus jeopardizing Brent's license or the reverse, very Dr. Doolittlish]. She does. Can I play with them....I'm really missing my puppy? Jilly looks quizzically for a moment...and then lets her dogs free. I immediately scoop up the little dog - whose name is actually Little Dog - and hold her on my lap. Though she is nothing like Baci in size, coloring or personality....she looks at me with that same type of trusting doglove. I know I am cooked. Over the top. I have indeed become a dog person.

Last evening, we were invited to a barbecue. It was hosted by Andy and Julie. Andy runs the radiology department at the hospital. They live on a farm. They breed border collies. They also raise chickens and until recently, sheep. [How recently? We were eating one of the sheep for DINNER]. I couldn't WAIT to play with the border collie pups. Julie showed me around the farm. Including the chicken coop. They are free range checks she explained. We let them run in the yard most of the time. [Side note, Julie sold us some eggs that were laid YESTERDAY and we ate them for breakfast TODAY. Talk about Fresh!!]. As soon as dinner was over and the dogs had their tea, Andy and Julie let the dogs out onto the farm. We threw frisbees. The dogs retrieved them. And they ran and jumped and even drooled. And I loved it!

Last bit of evidence about my going over to the dog side.

Before we left, Joe and Kary [two dear colleagues and friends] gave me a black stuffed-animal dog. About Baci's size. And as soft. It was a sweet, sweet gift. Stuffed Baci is on our bed and I've been sleeping with her. This morning Brent said Baci's been awfully quiet. Yes, I said, she hasn't cried at all. We are now talking about a stuffed animal.

Need I say more....?