This picture is 22 years in the making. I begged my parents for a dog as soon as I could talk. I had crazy childish dreams of playing fetch and running around on fields and getting doggy kisses. Everytime I went to my aunt’s house (she has always had dogs. At some point she had four), I’d ask again but alas, my parents weren’t huge animal people and figured that a hyperactive little girl and a moody little boy were enough to deal with. I gave up when I was in my last year of high school since I was going off to college and my parents were still not down, but I still wanted one.

Fast forward to Tuesday, when my parents finally decided that with us fully grown and a lot less fun than when we were kids, it was time to get a little doggy friend. And after perusing the shelter, we came home with this little guy. His name is Sparco, and he’s a 17lb, 2 yr old chihuahua mix (I think he’s mixed with some kind of herding dog because he likes to run around in circles). He’s a bit smaller than I would have chosen for myself, but at least he’s pretty mellow and hasn’t barked at anything except birds. And he likes to snuggle!

Am I a little resentful that my parents waited until I moved out to get a dog? Maybe. But it’s better late than never.