I said no dogs.  I said it has only been a few weeks since we lost Gretchen, and I didn’t want any more right now.  That’s how the story begins, anyway… My sister was visiting from Alabama and happened to walk by the animal shelter that was set up at the mall where we were shopping.  A little puppy put her paws up on her cage and stretched right as she walked by, and she was smitten.  As we were filling out all the paperwork and figuring out how to get the puppy to their house in Alabama (since they were leaving the next day and the puppy hadn’t been fixed yet — California law — has to be done before they go home), my husband proceeded to fall in love with, his words, the ugliest dog there.  “That’s nice,” I said.  I felt no connection to the dog, and stood my ground as wanting a no-dog-house for awhile longer.  But I watched him go over and take the dog out of his cage 3 times, and just grin as he petted him and the dog nuzzled up right into his chest.  But we went home and that was that.  Or so I thought.  The next morning, after we took my sister and her family to the airport, my husband said, “Let’s just go look and see if “Sparky” (he named him already??) is still there.  If he’s not, fine.  But let’s just see… “  He offered to just take one of the kids and go check it out, but I disagreed.  “I have to go to make sure you don’t bring anything home with you!!”  So we all went.  When we got there, the salt and peppere shih tzu was nowhere to be found, and I immediately found myself feeling sorry for my sweet hubby.  He went to find out if he had been adopted, and the kids and I looked around.  Soon I saw my daughter holding this tiny little black and brown dog.  I immediately thought about how I was given my first little Yorkie when I was about her age, and how much I loved the little guy his whole life, all the way up until after I was married.  My husband found out the shih tzu was still at the shelter, they had just forgotten to bring him in that morning.  So I asked him how serious he was about this dog… were we going to go all the way across town to the shelter and really take him home??  What are you going to say to your daughter?  See how she is completely in love with this little chihuahua??  Then he said it, and I was not expecting this at all… “I think we should get both dogs.”  Are you kidding me??  I said I am not ready for ANY dogs, let alone TWO!!  But, seeing as how no one seemed to be hearing me, the papers were filled out to bring home the tiny, quiet chihuahua, and then we drove across town to the shelter to fill out papers for the shih tzu, who still needed to get his surgery and will be able to come home next week.  And as I watch my kids run in the backyard as little Aubie tries to jump and follow along, and as I nuzzle her silky head under my neck, I know this is one of those times I’m glad no one listened to me.  These dogs will be as much a part of their lives as my little Yorkie was, maybe even all the way until after they are married.  So that is the story.  And here is little Aubie.